DI Student Fellows Program

The Design Innovation (DI) Fellows Program supports students by developing their collaborative innovation skills and empowering them to become leaders of meaningful, positive change. DI Fellows engage in a series of facilitated experiences, projects, and student-to-student learning opportunities that teach them how to embed design innovation into their daily lives and future careers.

Applications for the 2025-2026 DI Fellows cohort open on Thursday, May 1st, 2025. 

Apply to be a DI Student Fellow

The primary goal of the DI Fellows Program is to promote diversity in teams (diversity of disciplines, demographics, thinking, and skills) as a powerful force for innovation and positive change. Students in the DI Fellows Program demonstrate this by using team-based human-centered-design processes and methods to tackle complex societal problems. By participating in this program students learn how to become effective collaborators and leaders, develop the ability to implement challenge-based innovation experiences and projects, and become ambassadors for cross-disciplinary innovation.
 

  • Application & Selection

    Application & Selection

    The DI Fellows Program accepts KSU student applicants from any major, class level, or Kent State University campus. DI Fellows Program students are selected annually based on their demonstrated willingness to engage with, and advocate for, Design Innovation at Kent State.

  • Levels of Achievement

    Levels of Achievement

    As part of the DI Student Fellows program, students embark on a “quest” that guides them through the 11 elements of the DI Toolkit, the “recipe” for Design Innovation at Kent State.

  • Responsibilities

    Responsibilities

    Once selected, DI Student Fellows are expected to fulfill a series of responsibilities based on their achievement level. Successfully fulfilling these responsibilities will earn the student additional privileges, including a semesterly stipend. 

  • Stipend & Privileges

    Stipend & Privileges

    All students selected into the DI Fellows Program who successfully fulfill the responsibilities associated with their achievement level will receive a semesterly (twice per academic year) stipend as well as privileges based on their level of achievement and continued participation in the program.

DI Student Fellows Cohorts

2024-2025 Student Fellows Cohort
 

Alessandra DiPiazza

Architecture
 

Anna Leitson

Integrated Mathematics
 

DeAnte Bernard

Fashion Merchandising
 

Delonte Goodman

Mechatronics Engineering
 

Elle Smith

Visual Communication Design
 

Gemma Constantine

Exploratory
 

Harsha Amara

Data Science
 

Hayden Davis

Fashion Design; Business Management Minor
 

Jacob Nicholson

Visual Communications Design; User Experience Design Minor
 

Jocelyn Sampson-Dickerson

Fashion Merchandising; Marketing Minor
 

Joy Ogunpolu

Emerging Media and Technology
 

Julian Leff

Business Analytics; Computer Information Systems
 

Nadia Modjrian

Fashion Design; User Experience Design Minor; Marketing Minor
 

Olivia Diemert

Visual Communications Design; Photography Minor
 

Pann Prechachevawat

Visual Communications Design
 

Shriya Sunkara

Data Science
 

Theorose Dzineku

Emerging Media and Technology