Academic parents celebrate graduation with offspring

Academic parents celebrate graduation with offspring

There was double the reason to celebrate the University of Auckland’s capping week at the School of Architecture and Planning recently as teaching staff were on hand to see their offspring graduate.

Head of School Dr Elizabeth Aitken Rose joined the audience at Graduation in the Aotea Centre, to witness her daughter Raphaela Rose be capped, alongside Sacha Milojevic, the son of Senior Lecturer Michael Milojevic.

Raphaela and Sacha both received Masters of Architecture (Professional) degrees at the National Institute of Creative Arts and Industries graduation ceremony, held as part of the University of Auckland’s May Graduation.

The two, who have known each other since childhood as their parents are friends, initially embarked on quite different careers. Both Raphaela and Sacha began studying arts and law, before switching to architecture in their second year of study.

As well as progressing through Architecture School together, they also collaborated on projects, including a design for the Brickbay Sculpture Trust Folly Contest, which was one of five finalists for the prize, and an installation for Urbis Design Day.

Sacha now joins both his parents in the profession – his mother is a conservation architect for Heritage NZ.

“Although there was never any expectation I would follow in my parent’s footsteps, I have been surrounded by discussion about art and architecture all my life,” he says.

Raphaela, whose mother Elizabeth is an urban planner says she was influenced by discussions at home about how the environment shapes and forms society.

“I knew I wanted to be involved in shaping the world, which was why I originally enrolled in law, but I soon realised I needed a profession with a larger creative component,” she says.

Sacha and Raphaela are now both working as architectural graduates, Sacha at Patterson’s Architects, and Raphaela, at Jasmax. They hope to eventually become registered architects.

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