Frensham graduate Sarah Hassett is well on her way to shaping the future of Australian design.
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The Sutton Forest local finished her final high school year on a high in 2017 – placing 6th in NSW in HSC Design and Technology with a score of 98/100 – and now her work is being showcased in Sydney’s Powerhouse Museum.
Out of 39 HSC students whose work will feature in the museum’s Shape 2018: Showcase of HSC Technology Projects exhibition, Sarah was one of just three to be chosen as a case study for design students.
Shape showcases a selection of outstanding major projects from the HSC Design and Technology, Industrial Technology and Textiles and Design courses.
Sarah’s major work was an innovative, wireless phone-charging, solar-powered handbag.
“It was designed to help people charge their phones on the go when they don’t have access to power,” Sarah said.
“I took a very aesthetic approach. I wanted to create a pragmatic bag for people who would normally choose style over practicality.”
The bag is a sleek, black tote-style sans wires and cords, with a wireless phone-charging facility.
“You don’t have to plug [the phone] in or anything, you just put it in a pocket inside the bag and it charges wirelessly,” she said.
Sarah spent the better part of her final school year working on the project, which also included a 40-page A3 portfolio detailing the process of creating the handbag, from idea generation to construction.
“I also created a lot of other components to help it appeal to my market – a packaging box, a bag to keep it safe in, business cards, stickers, phone cases, and promotional videos,” she said.
Although Sarah has now graduated, she still plans to see her handbag project through.
“I’ve been approached by [tutoring company] HSC Hub to help other Year 12 students create Design and Technology portfolios.
“And I’m hoping to develop my bag further – I’ve been waiting for the powerhouse exhibition to give a bit more credence to my project.”
The 18 year-old has also been offered a place at Edinburgh University to complete a four year degree in General Engineering, starting in September.
It is her hope that the combination of engineering and living abroad will foster an “entrepreneurial path” whereby she can develop her own products and release them onto the market in the future.
“I’ve always wanted to travel a lot, and to have the opportunity to live overseas and have a totally different experience.
“And I want to do engineering so I can dive into new technologies and develop them in to new products,” Sarah said.
