What Are Our Graduates Doing Now?

Andrew Priestley,  a graduate of Unitec who now work as a Landscape Architect for Boffa Miskell, Auckland shares some of his recent graduate experiences...

I graduated from Unitec at the end of 2013 and started working for Boffa Miskell in the beginning of 2014. I’m part of the design team, which works on a range of projects from urban public realm projects to large scale developments.

 

The thing I enjoy most about the work I'm doing now is that Boffa Miskell makes a real effort to make sure their graduates get as much experience across the field as possible. This has opened my eyes to how diverse the profession of Landscape Architecture is. Personally, I enjoy the large scale projects and have been fortunate enough to work on a few large coastal projects that have been closely tied with ecology and restoration. 

Are there any achievements you are particularly proud of?  

I was humbled to have received the Boffa Miskell award for Top Negotiated Project, and then to be hired only months later. The significance of this particular achievement was that my negotiated study was about golf course design, a real passion of mine and the reason I studied  Landscape Architecture in the first place. When I first started at Boffa Miskell I felt as though I could bring that passion with me, and I have been lucky to work on projects that have been associated with golf course design.

How do you try to inspire people? 

Through project work. There are amazing projects done by Landscape Architects all over the world, and its these projects that showcase our profession and inspire people. 

What does success mean to you?

Right now, to be practicing in the profession I studied. Ultimately, to be practicing in areas of the profession I am most passionate about, and being the best at it.

How did Unitec help get you to where you are now? 

The time at Unitec is as good as you want to make it. As mentioned earlier, in my last year of university, I chose to study something I was passionate about and I thank my classmates and supervisors from Unitec for supporting that, and for pushing me both in and out of the classroom with industry contacts and work experience.

What are your goals for the future – what would you like to achieve? 

There is always a satisfaction no matter how big or small a project is when you can see people enjoying and creating memories in spaces you have designed. If I could do this through designing golf courses, that would be my ultimate goal.