The Master’s thesis stems from a collective positionality—the diverse design student body at the University of Florida’s graduate program, where 77% of the population is from the Global South. This collective is not the only program in U.S. institutions that manifests neoliberal multiculturalism. As politics in Florida, USA, have shifted far-right, changes have been perceived, reflected upon, and critically discussed in the design graduate studio MxD, where the blog post author is among the active complicators.

Through autoethnography and codesign methods, the author seeks to understand the politically charged institution as a design space where a diverse student body learns to live with differences, builds solidarity, and advocates for critical changes in design education.