Sahil Lotia
Sahil Lotia brings a passion to his work that was shaped by his childhood in India, where he watched his father work as a lighting designer and manufacturer at his family’s manufacturing unit. His strong desire to pursue a career in Lighting Design led him to continue his education at NYSID. Sahil Lotia obtained his Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from NMIMS University’s Mukesh Patel School of Technology Management & Engineering in Mumbai, India. Before taking on the role as an Assistant Consultant, Sahil worked as a Lighting Designer at Bliss Fasman Inc. in New York City.
Where are you now and what kind of work/projects are you currently working on?
I am currently working as an assistant consultant to my father, helping client’s source products, machineries and set up manufacturing units, all related to LED Lighting, across India.
How did NYSID prepare you for where you are today?
Getting a job at Bliss Fasman Inc. in New York City, a week before my graduation is a testimony to the fact that NYSID is not only a recognized name but the curriculum that is taught, is carefully crafted keeping in mind real work experience. Mock situations included as part of the courses, certainly helped me become familiar with situations in my day to day tasks. It is really the best application based courses out there.
What career advice do you have for current students? What is critical for the future professional?
One of the crucial things to keep mind is that only a substantial balance of theoretical and practical knowledge will make you stand out in the work place. It is necessary that you take the same amount of interest in an AGi32 calculation as you may in an InDesign presentation where Lighting Design is concerned. You really have to love it to get all of your creative juices flowing. It really isn’t as easy to light up a space as it is to walk in and turn the switch on. However, the end result is what makes it worth it.
Who influenced your studies at NYSID?
One of my biggest influences during my time as a student was definitely Mr. John Katimaris. All of his classes were like fun experiments which really made me fall in love with lighting design. The way he nurtured all his students undeniably made us better lighting designers.