A group of Experience architecture students who organized the first-ever MSU Designathon received the Emerging Student Organization Award at the 24th Annual Student Leadership Excellence Awards Reception, sponsored by the MSU Office of Spartan Experiences in the Division of Student Affairs.
The Emerging Student Organization Award is presented yearly to a newly formed student organization for outstanding efforts and achievement during its first year.
The MSU Designathon, held March 22-23, 2025, was Michigan State University’s first-ever 24-hour design sprint. More than 130 students from 10 universities participated in this event, which allowed students of all majors and skill levels to transform creative ideas into real-world solutions. Using skills, such as user experience/user interface, product design, branding and problem-solving, students worked together to build innovative, user-centered solutions.
“The MSU Designathon exemplifies the very core of the Experience Architecture program: creativity, collaboration, and a commitment to human-centered design,” said Casey McArdle, director of the experience architecture program and assistant professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric and Cultures. “In creating the Designathon, our students were able to share with peers from across MSU and the region how design can shape meaningful experiences for the world.”
The XA students who received the Emerging Student Organization Award for their role in organizing the MSU Designathon include Lisa Chai, Rena Huang, Julius Patto and Alex Guo. They aimed to create a space where their peers could connect and grow as they networked, learned new skills, and built pieces for their portfolios.
“Design isn’t just about screens and interfaces — it’s about crafting meaningful experiences,” Huang said. “We wanted this event to be more than just a competition; it was about belonging. We aimed to bring various disciplines together to build innovative, user-centered solutions; to learn from one another; and to foster a stronger design community. To get acknowledgement for what we did shows that we were able to leave an impact on the community.”
As co-founders and co-directors of the MSU Designathon, Chai and Patto established the event when they recognized a lack of resources and opportunities for students within the XA community to show their skills.
Working with their peers to create the event, Chai and Patto assembled a team of 15 students from diverse backgrounds who shared a similar vision and organized them into four groups — Marketing, Experience, Finance, and Events — with each team member playing a crucial role in the event’s success.
Guo served as the finance lead for the event and helped secured $7,000 in sponsorship dollars, with the backing of both local businesses and academic units across campus.
“Even though MSU’s design community is small, it’s incredibly mighty, full of some of the most talented, adaptable individuals I’ve ever worked with,” Patto said. “We poured our hearts into bringing in speakers and mentors from leading companies like Google, Adobe, Apple, Meta, HP and Ford, alongside local organizations like CATA and Auto-Owners Insurance. Our goal was to create a space where students could truly shine — showcasing their skills, connecting with professionals, and seeing what’s possible in the world of design. Therefore, receiving this award is truly an honor.”
The 2025 Student Leadership Excellence Awards were presented April 17 at the Kellogg Hotel and Conference Center. For more information on the awards, see the Student Leadership Award web page.
This story originally appeared on the College of Arts and Letters website.
