Haleemah Sadiah: Catapult Fellow

SCAD is proud to announce Haleemah Sadiah (M.F.A., design for sustainability, 2021) as the inaugural Catapult Fellow, sponsored by Catapult Design. This prestigious field fellowship is awarded to a recent alumnus of the university’s design for sustainability graduate program.

“I am thrilled to be the first fellow, and grateful for this opportunity,” said Haleemah Sadiah. “To have the chance to work with Catapult Design is a dream come true, and I look forward to using my creative skills and the knowledge I learned at SCAD to make a real-world impact while working on projects during my tenure with Catapult.”

From Bangalore, India, Haleemah recently completed her master’s thesis working with Jaipur Rugs on increasing the agency of women carpet weavers in the village of Aspura. During her Catapult fellowship, Sadiah will work directly with the Catapult team of designers, engineers, and business specialists to create design solutions to complex social challenges. She will be involved with an array of domestic and international projects, and explore opportunities to create momentum for social innovation projects within the Savannah community.c

“We are delighted to have Haleemah join us so that she may continue to hone her design for sustainability skills through this Catapult fellowship,” said Angela Hariche, CEO, Catapult Design.

Founded in 2008, Catapult Design addresses challenges facing humanity, such as food security, water and sanitation access, quality healthcare, mobility, and climate change. Catapult Design’s portfolio spans over 70 design engagements with 51 clients in 14 countries. Notable partners include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Bank, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, Asian Development Bank, Peace Corps, National Endowment of the Arts, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Mastercard Centre for Inclusive Growth.

“Catapult Design has long been a leader in generating social impact for underrepresented communities,” said SCAD professor Scott Boylston, graduate coordinator, design for sustainability. “This fellowship represents an amazing opportunity for our alumni to work in the field to take their first bold steps into their new careers.”

The Catapult fellowship was awarded in part on the basis of Haleemah’s master’s thesis. “Jaipur Rugs work with about 40,000 artisans and make beautiful hand-knotted carpets, their artisans often design their own rugs, which is relatively rare to see in the craft world,” Haleemah explained. “That helps to bridge the gap between artisan and organization, but there are still many challenges, like the fact that artisans and management often speak different languages, and the artisans are not educated in design management. My project was focused on building cultural competence between the artisans and the organization that they work with.” Haleemah’s writing advances these ideas in her essay entitled “The Link Between Organizational Learning and Cultural Competence.”

SCAD’s design for sustainability program is focused on preparing students to pioneer organizational change, technological and material innovation, and citizen advocacy. Learn more about the program here.

Congratulations, Haleemah!