If you want a prestigious summer internship in some of the most exciting places in the world, look no further than the Anderson University School of Interior Design.
Interns from the School of Interior Design are honing their skills in diverse geographical locations including the Bahamas; New York City; Atlanta; Salt Lake City and Park City, Utah; West Palm Beach, Florida; St. Louis, Missouri; Athens and Augusta, Georgia; Charlotte and Huntersville, North Carolina; and Charleston, Rock Hill and Greenville, South Carolina.
All Interior Design majors must complete an internship at a professional interior design firm. The internships run for six weeks, but some students might continue working in the firms for the rest of the summer. Either way, they’re gaining valuable experience on their road to becoming professional designers.
Madison Baker, Jarret Yoshida Interior Design (Brooklyn, New York)
Going to New York City represents a dream fulfilled for Madison Baker, who landed an internship with Jarret Yoshida, owner of a design firm with offices in Brooklyn, New York and Honolulu, Hawaii. Growing up surrounded by family members with construction and renovation businesses in the Camden, South Carolina area and observing her dad, uncle and grandfather at work, she was naturally drawn to the idea of creating living spaces people could enjoy.
When she got to New York, things just seemed to “click” between Baker and Yoshida, who has South Carolina connections through working on projects at Kiawah Island. Baker’s day starts with a 20-minute walk to the firm, located in a Brooklyn brownstone, but she quickly adds there’s no such thing as a typical day. One day she might go with Yoshida to Long Island to visit a client; another day she might ride the subway into Manhattan to get or return design samples at the huge D and D (design and decoration) building.
“It’s crazy. There are 17 floors and 150 showrooms. At first it was like a scavenger hunt to find all these showrooms because he (Yoshida) would give me a bag of these samples, I’d just have to find them and return them to all these showrooms. I didn’t know what I was doing but I can do it now without even looking at the map,” Baker said.
Baker is also heavily involved in an update of Yoshida’s website, writing blogs and doing photography around New York. She’s also helping update his firm’s resource library.
“He’s really willing to invest the time in me, which I’m really thankful for,” she said.
Morgan Parker, V Starr (West Palm Beach, Florida)
Initially, Morgan Parker had her sights set on interning for an Atlanta interior design firm. But, while visiting a friend in Florida, Parker looked around and thought she might find internship opportunities in the Sunshine State. After some research on Instagram, she connected with V Starr in West Palm Beach and landed an internship.
Parker enjoys having the experience of working at V Starr, a company established by professional tennis player Venus Williams, whose focus is on design for hospitality, multifamily and high-end residential clients.
“Pretty much on a given day I work on anywhere between three and four different projects; they are all at different phases in the design process,” Parker said. “I have helped with the conceptual process for one or two different projects … For projects further down the line, I have been ordering a lot of samples so that we can bring those in to them in person and decide what’s going to be a good fit. Then I’ve also done some plans in CAD (computer assisted design software) and then also projects that are even further along that are ready for 3D modeling.”
After Parker’s required 200 hours are completed, she plans to stay at V Starr until August, when she will return to AU and serve as president of the University’s chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID.)
Porter Rivers, Barbara Dalton Interiors (Greenville, South Carolina)
In just a short time, Porter Rivers was immersing herself in high-end residential design at Barbara Dalton Interiors in Greenville. Working with Dalton and also designer Chloe (Bagley) Duncan, who is an Anderson University alumna, she meets with clients and architects and is also gaining experience with software used in interior design.
She’s excited about taking her training outside of the classroom into a real-world setting and feels a real sense of accomplishment when a presentation resonates with a client.
“After it’s all said and done and everything is completed, you have this meeting with your client, and seeing their joy is an amazing moment,” Rivers said. She also feels a sense of accomplishment knowing that she’s entering a field where she can help somebody enjoy a better quality of life in a well-designed living space.
“That’s why I’m so drawn to residential design. Each person has a home, has a family of some sort, and that’s where you’re going to gather with them,” Rivers said. “You spend the majority of your life indoors.”
“Our students completing the internship have a foundation which encourages the work experience component of the National Council for Interior Design Qualification (NCIDQ), administered by the Council for Interior Design Qualification (CIDQ),” said School of Interior Design Dean Martin. “Anderson is proud of the high rate of graduates who successfully pass this professional exam which includes: education, experience and examination.”
In addition to internships, several Anderson University School of Interior Design students have been selected from a competitive process to participate in a four-week Summer Studio in Classical Architecture in New York City, sponsored by the Institute of Classical Architecture and Art (ICAA). Also, graduates and students have received awards from the professional interior design organizations including ASID and the International Interior Design Association (IIDA.)
Students are heavily involved in activities ranging from community projects to the Gathering, an annual networking and industry trade show that allows interior design students to meet and learn from some of the most accomplished architects and designers in the industry. Graduates have won numerous awards and entered top graduate programs.
(from left to right: Morgan Parker; Jarret Yoshida and Madison Baker)