We are excited to announce our K–12 Design Education program is expanding with the addition of a new Adjunct Design Instructor role, a step that strengthens classroom partnerships and increases the program’s reach across more schools and students. Stepping into this new position is educator and designer Mia Rosensaft, whose people-centered approach to design and teaching aligns closely with our mission.

The Adjunct Design Instructor works directly with middle school classrooms, leading multi-week design thinking units in collaboration with teachers while also supporting curriculum development and workshops.

For Mia, the work is grounded in creative confidence and access. “What feels most important to me is sparking creativity in the lives of young people and ensuring they have meaningful outlets for self-expression,” she says. With a background in architecture and educational design, she has spent years teaching design communication and lighting. Those experiences shifted her focus from buildings alone to the people who use them.

In her classrooms, she often meets students who believe design is only for those who can draw well. Expanding that definition is central to her practice. She introduces multiple ways to think and make, from model building to visual storytelling, so students with different strengths can have fun while learning. “Many students who do not see themselves as designers have simply never been told that they can be one,” she explains. Her teaching has reshaped how she views the discipline itself. She approaches design less as a fixed solution and more as an evolving framework shaped by people and time. 

This program growth reflects our long term commitment to designeducation. By implementing design thinking into existing curriculum, students gain tools for problem solving and expression. Rosensaft’s goal for each six week classroom experience is simple and lasting: students leave with confidence in their ideas and a sense that design belongs to them too.