Jeremiah Rogo

Lighting Designer, Beca
Bachelor of Design in Spatial Design

He loves his career as a lighting designer for Beca, says Jeremiah Rogo who came to AUT to study a Bachelor of Design in Spatial Design.

“I’m proud of being able to work on a variety of projects, both big and small, around New Zealand, which all require a different level of coordination between the different parties in the construction industry, including clients, contractors and engineers.

“What I enjoy most about this work is being part of small team where I can use the skills I developed when I was younger and then honed during my time at AUT in varying projects and tasks.”

An easy decision
For Jeremiah, deciding to study spatial design at university was an easy decision.

“From a young age, I’ve enjoyed creating visualisations of desirable environments, whether it be built or natural. I had previously started studying urban planning at another university when the COVID-19 lockdown happened, and then decided to study spatial design at AUT as it seemed to fuse together everything I enjoyed about designing spaces, the combination of creative thinking and reality. It seemed that I could refine the abilities I had developed when I was younger and turn them into skills that could be used in the real world.”

There was one moment in his studies that particularly stood out to him.

“A lightbulb moment was during my third semester. I was spending time in places I had always been in when I was a kid; trying to figure out exactly why those places felt the way they did, then, using the specific elements that were found, I applied them to my projects. Using this approach turned out to be the biggest asset to take an idea to presentation, as the findings I made during the beginning was what drove my projects until the end.”

Highlights and achievements
Jeremiah had plenty of highlights throughout his time at AUT.

“What I enjoyed most about AUT was the inviting atmosphere the whole campus created – the environment made it easy to connect with peers both in my course and outside of it. I enjoyed when it was time to critique our work. Having critical feedback and seeing the improvements as each project progressed was both satisfying and rewarding.

“An achievement I was especially proud of was being chosen to be a part of the Nuffield Street exhibition where my final-year university project is currently being displayed. I also loved having the opportunity to talk to some of New Zealand's leading designers.”

He has some great advice for other students who are thinking about their own university journey.

“My advice is to put in 110% effort all the way to the end.”