Cosmin Mihai is an adult returner, joining us at NESCol to continue his education after 10 years of employment.

He successfully completed HND Textiles before the summer and is now continuing his studies at Gray’s School of Art.

The 31-year-old is originally from Romania and has lived in Aberdeen for the past eight years. After school, Cosmin decided that he wanted to be independent and earn his own money so for the next decade, he worked in a variety of hospitality roles.

Cosmin started College in 2021, joining the SCQF Level 6 Fashion and Textiles: Design & Manufacture course. He then moved on to study HND Textiles, where he flourished as a creative.

Learning outside the classroom

Some of the best moments on his course were the visits and experiences that took him outside of the classroom.

He said: “During my time at NESCol, I had the opportunity to travel to a few locations in Scotland, such as the V&A Dundee, Verdant Dundee and Aberdeen Art Gallery; places related to the course that helped broaden our knowledge of textile production and manufacturing.”

However, it was the support he received that really stood out for Cosmin.

He said: “What have I enjoyed the most about my course? Probably the support given by the tutors and my classmates. I tried to help my classmates whenever I could too.

“The lecturers have been there for me whenever I needed advice, a helping hand or even just for a friendly discussion. The College facilities are good, and they are a great help for the students who don’t own a sewing machine, an overlocker or anything required for the course, at home.”

The NESCol community

While studying at NESCol, Cosmin was heavily involved with the College community, supporting the Students’ Association. His textiles work also shone, and he even won an award for his pieces.

He said: “I have been the Class Rep for my class since I’ve been at College. I like to make myself heard and I am not afraid to speak directly, so I was a voice for the people who were maybe shy and afraid to speak up.

“I was also chosen as the student with the best work on the wall at the End of Year Show hosted by NESCol this year – which was very unexpected for me!”

Cosmin has big aspirations for his career with the next stage of his journey taking him to university.

He said: “The plan is to improve my skills even further within the fashion industry and creative textiles, that’s why my next step is Gray’s School of Art.

“My dream would be probably to have my own company, with products created and designed by myself and why not a team under my leadership, creating clothes and accessories that make people happy and proud to wear.”

Cosmin’s advice

Cosmin would encourage anyone interested in fashion and textiles is to study HND Textiles.

“I would recommend this course to whoever thinks this is the path in life they have to take. You will find support from tutors and classmates, and you will also make some friends too.

“The course definitely helped me by pushing me to work under pressure, have better time management, and find out my level of patience when it comes to creating something more complicated than I anticipated.

“I also discovered new skills I never thought I would be able to do, and they showed me how I can manage to work with different people with different points of view in different situations.”