Lina Garada

Lina graduated from the Virginia Tech Industrial Design program in 2015. During her eight years at Tech within the legacy CAUS school, she was fortunate enough to firsthand experience the rebranding of the ID department and the numerous talent which the school attracted. Originally an Architecture student, the combination of the financial crash of 2008-2009 and her trip to India with Akshay’s first Design for the Bottom of the Pyramid class, made her cognizant of the impact Industrial Design could play in helping others. After India, she transitioned to the ID program and never looked back. Post graduation Lina worked for now Westrock as a packaging designer; shifted to freelancing to help the local Richmond community; and ultimately moved out west after cycling across the country with Bike the US for MS (also located in Blacksburg!) Heavily impacted by Virginia Tech’s Ut Prosim motto and the kindness of the faculty while being diagnosed with MS in college, Lina is ecstatic to help pay it forward to the school and program that helped shape who she is today.