Casper Leitner

I build experiences that don't just function, but matter. I tackle the tough questions of what it means to design for dignity, empathy, and impact.

Where I Started & Where I’m Going

I was introduced to the world of design when I was 13. My father and I travelled to Vancouver to work with the Dalai Lama Center for Peace and Education. I was soon pulled into a room filled with the smartest people I had ever met and was given the space to design. To think. To create. We were tasked with how to integrate mindfulness into public school curricula and to develop a solution that encourages education of the heart. I stepped up to fill the spot of youth representative and spent the next three days in a crowded office room, littered with sticky notes, cold coffee, and experiences that changed my life.

prequel

I walked into my undergraduate orientation with a plan to attend a classical music conservatory. I walked out with the decision to major in Peace, Justice, and Conflict studies. I spent the next two years training as a circle keeper, as well as taking courses on conflict resolution and international ethics. Once again, something changed. I took a class on prison abolition and realized I needed to do something now. I transferred universities to begin a degree in Criminology, Law, and Justice. I continued on to get a Master’s degree, interning with restorative justice legal agencies and teaching courses alongside some of the most renowned professors in the field.

act one

I’m currently working with UX For Good on their latest project, “Yes We Cancer.” I am leading the research, as well as producing my first podcast and composing the music for it. In the last year alone, I have worked with companies in agricultural financing, pharmaceuticals, oncology, law, event planning, and nautical travel.

act two

During a university seminar, I heard the phrase “T person” for the first time. My “T” is formed of research and insight.

I don’t just learn the basics, I fill out notebooks of research. I make slideshows. I consume everything there is to know about the subject at hand. It’s obsessive and weird, but it is how I make sense of the world.

Some of the topics I have spent the last few years researching are…

The origin, production, and art of coffee.
Rare diseases, my first being Fibrodysplasia Ossificans Progressiva.
The mechanics of musical instruments, as well as learning to play 10+ of them.
The setup of computers and keyboards, from switches to coolants, making them and collecting them.
Quantum physics - I am currently taking a course from MIT on Quantum and Theoretical physics.
Various forms of law - I have been taking the L-SAT practice tests for fun, just to learn all that I can.