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�鶹ֱ�� is celebrating two team wins by six of its Honours Bachelor of Interior Design degree students at the Association of Registered Interior Designers of Ontario (ARIDO)’s recent summit and annual general meeting. The floorplan design challenge tested the skills of the fourth-year students, with two teams of three taking top place on days two and three of competition.

Students from interior design programs from across the province were tasked with creating engaging virtual event spaces for the more than 3,300 ARIDO members who attended. Criteria supported ARIDO’s efforts to advance equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility within the design profession and industry.

Brittany Dempsey, Nguyen Huong Giang and Yihan Shi contributed to the winning submission on day two of the challenge, while Julienne Bernier, Leanne Hollingworth and Crystal Roy designed their way to first place on day three.

“Unique hands-on learning and networking opportunities like the ARIDO competition are a cornerstone of �鶹ֱ��’s Interior Design degree, and give students a chance to showcase their skills and talents to potential employers before they graduate,” says Andrea Vorstermans-Zado, Program Coordinator, Honours Bachelor of Interior Design. “It really helps them gain confidence and connections and gives them an edge in the marketplace as they prepare to launch their careers.”

Students benefit from other practical experiences over the four-year program, including:

• attending professional events like the Toronto Interior Design Show
• participating in excursions to industry suppliers and major design centres
• showcasing student work at �鶹ֱ��’s annual Design and Visual Arts Scholarship Show
• gaining work experience through a 14-week industry co-op work term

The challenge

How did the interior design co-op work term help build your skills?

“I chose �鶹ֱ�� because it’s a leader in co-op education. This was important to me because I’m an international student and wanted Canadian work experience. �鶹ֱ�� not only helped with securing a co-op work term, it gave me lots of opportunity to apply my skills. The best part? I’m still working part-time for my co-op employer, and getting even more experience.”

– Nguyen Huong Giang

Why did you choose to study interior design at �鶹ֱ��?

“I’ve always had a passion for design and visual arts. I went to a �鶹ֱ�� open house and met with professors. They were very welcoming and helped me choose my career path. I loved all the team-building and extracurriculars encouraged at �鶹ֱ��…it really helped foster strong group work, which is an important element of an interior design career.”

– Brittany Dempsey

What was it like competing in the ARIDO competition?

“The process of developing a design for the competition was very fast-paced and required tight turnaround. It also took great teamwork and strong spatial development skills to throw together a functional plan with all the required criteria. The work didn’t stop there. After our proposal was selected, we had to do a lot of back and forth with ARIDO officials to prepare the design to be compatible with the online convention platform it was designed for. It was a lot of work, but an great addition to my resumé!”

– Leanne Hollingworth