Carlijn Valk

Carlijn Valk, a second year industrial design student at Carnegie Mellon University, who one day aspires to solve humanitarian issues by utilizing the problem solving power of design.

Born in Leiden, the Netherlands, Carlijn quickly moved to Oxford, UK, where she attended a European school and there became comfortable in both Dutch and English. Her English came in handy when her family made another move to the USA.

By that time her love of art and aesthetics had long been apparent. Within the first 3 years of living in American however, she found a second passion: the afterschool robotics club. While attending the Rainard school for the Gifted and Talented she went on to compete in robotics competitions and while attending the Awty Internation High School, she worked as a teacher's aid in an after school program, sharing her passion for robotics with her students.

At th Awty International school she grew through her experiences among a mostly globe trotting and third culture student body to understand a worldly perspective and appreciate inspiration from other cultures. Being a Beta orientated thinker with an irresistible fascination with art, Industrial design was the perfect major for Carlijn.

In her first year at Carnegie Mellon University Carlijn has not only worked diligently at her class work and completed her projects with pride but also found some time to engage in extra curricular activities such as being on the properties crew for Carnegie Mellon’s non-major student run drama production club.

Next summer Carlijn hopes to find an internship in which she may learn first hand how design professionals interact with real world clients.