New School, United
When the United Nations wanted to look at the impact of grassroots activism by the world’s youth, they naturally turned to a New School alumna.
“Modern Youthquake: A Generation’s Impact” is the official title of the thirty-seventh UNIS-UN Conference, held in the United Nations General Assembly Hall in early March and organized by the United Nations International School (UNIS). It took a look at how the energy of the world’s youth can make positive change, and how big things come from small beginnings.
This year, UNIS welcomed Sheena Matheiken (’01 Parsons MFA Design and Technology), to join UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon and activists from around the world at the conference. Matheikan is best known for her Uniform Project, in which she wore the same dress every day for a year to draw attention for the need for sustainability in fashion.
Born in Ireland and raised in India, Mathekin studied and then taught at Parsons The New School for Design before departing for a plethora of other ventures, including Boulder Digital Works and her design company, Matheikan, Inc.