Industrial Design student and President's Scholar, Ting Cheng, was recently selected to be one of the six students videotaped for Georgia Tech's leadership website. To watch the video clips of Cheng and the other five students visit, www.leadership.gatech.edu/video/videos.php. Cheng was also one of four Tech students selected this past fall in a highly competitive process to attend a national leadership conference at the University of Texas.

"We take pride in Ting's accomplishments as a President's Scholar and a leader. As one of the six students to be videotaped by the L.E.A.D. Program, Ting has demonstrated a natural talent to be a strong leader and inspire other students.," said Abir Mullick, Director of the Industrial Design Program. "She is a strong student and she will be successful in whatever she chooses to pursue."

Developing leaders is one of the many things Georgia Tech does well. As an institution of higher learning, it provides all the components of leadership development: resources, environment, tools, and the people who will help students to become the leaders they were born to be.

"Ting will not only enjoy a challenging and rewarding educational experience, she will also contribute in extraordinary ways to the overall education experience at the College," said Dean Thomas Galloway. "I could not be more pleased to have a student like Ting as a role model for all students in the College."

Interview with Ting Cheng: 

Question: What do you think makes an effective leader?
T.C.: I believe it's a variety of characteristics. Vision is essential, for the leader needs to visualize the possibilities of future goals. Emotional intelligence, the ability to understand each person in the group, plays a great role in motivation as it recognizes and brings out the best in each individual. Integrity, the keystone of any organization or group, contributes the most in developing trust among the team dynamic. An effective leader encompasses all these traits and more while balancing certain attributes of a manager.

Question: If leadership is defined as the process of influencing a group towards accomplishing its goals, what are some of the things you would like to influence people to do or consider?
T.C.: From a designer perspective, I would like for people to be more aware of design, particularly good design and the good that comes from it. Perhaps its apathy, but I don't think many people realize the efficiency and possibilities of truly innovative design - the amount of impact it possesses in altering and improving the way we live. And from a humanity point of view, I wish people would be more consciously aware of the world and their environment. There's so much to open your mind to and see and, not to mention, learn. Also, I hope people become more environmentally conscious, consider all the good that comes from giving back in our communities - even on an international scale. 

Question: What are the things you are most passionate about?
T.C.: Other than the things I've noted beforehand, I believe the thing I'm most passionate about, ever since the age of three, is art - my own personal expression, the exploration of beauty, and the search for the true. I experimented with a variety of different mediums, such as charcoal, watercolor, acrylics, pastel, oil, and clay, in many of my gallery artworks and also for my art exhibitions. Though now, my focus of art expands more to design. However, I apply a similar thought process because I believe it to be all very closely related, whether communicating aesthetics through a toaster or onto a canvas.

Question: What made you choose ID as a field of study?
T.C: Coming from a long love for the arts and mathematics/engineering, it just made sense for me to choose a field that combined both of these subjects. But it wasn't until my first visit to Georgia Tech's Industrial Design Department that I knew for certain that this was the area I wanted to further explore in my college education.Question: When are you scheduled to graduate?
T.C: Spring of 2008.Question: What are your plans after graduating?
T.C: I would like to go into corporate design and learn what I can from the field before returning to graduate school. Eventually, I would like to obtain an MBA and do design consulting internationally.

Question: How are you spending your summer?
T.C: I am spending my summer with Georgia Tech's Shanghai Summer Abroad Program. Other than learning Chinese, Chinese Business, and Chinese Design and Art History, I've been traveling and seeing various parts of China, from the history, culture, and traditions to the modern cities. I have seen so many beautiful things here and having a great time.

Question: If you could give advice to a new student entering GT, what bit of advice would you give them?
T.C: Be open-minded of what you can learn from each other as well as branching out to others in different majors. You can definitely take away something from everyone. Be ready to work hard. There will be challenges along the way, but don't give up. I have met my share of difficulties, but when you look back at what you have accomplished, the reward is unbelievable - not because of what you've done but how far you've pushed yourself and grown as a person.

Question: So far, what the most memorable moment you have had at Georgia Tech?
T.C: It would definitely be my time spent each summer traveling abroad: Oxford Study Abroad and Shanghai Summer Program. The international insights you gain are incredible. So I would definitely recommend everyone to do this because the experience is truly priceless.

Question: What is your favorite book? Movie? Style of art?
T.C.: The answers to these questions vary day to day. Though, I will describe some of my current favorites. I'm rereading The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand right now and find it to be more and more interesting now that I've finished my first year of studio. As far as movies, I'm a big fan of indie films and dramas. Though when it comes to art, I hold the Impressionist Movement to be the most heartfelt and dear - the brilliant movement of the brushwork and the beautiful blend of colors. However, my current studies and travels bring me to now appreciate Chinese art and calligraphy, which I find to be so rich of history and culture.