Winners of the IA Third Annual Diversity in Design Scholarship Announced
IA has announced the winners of the 2020–2021 Diversity in Design Scholarship, created in partnership with the IIDA Foundation to support emerging talent and advance greater representation across the design profession.
Open to all students currently enrolled in a design or architecture program, the entry requirements were a 500-word essay on “The Influence of Diversity on the Future of Design Thinking.” Essays needed to address the ways designers can reshape norms and ideate on the future of the industry, and how the profession can prepare for the unexpected at the intersection of interior architecture and technology.
“We are thrilled to be partnering with the IIDA Foundation for the second year in a row on a scholarship that promotes the power of diversity and the need to support design students across all walks of life. We received a number of outstanding entries from around the world, and we extend our sincerest congratulations to all of the winners. We can’t wait to see the impact these young professionals will have on the design profession.”
IA Co-CEOs and Presidents Tom Powers and David Bourke
“Through this scholarship, we are so pleased to be actively supporting and uplifting diverse voices within the design community,” said IIDA Executive Vice President and CEO Cheryl S. Durst, Hon. FIIDA. “The recipients, all from various backgrounds and areas of expertise, are the representatives of what our industry can and should look like.”
All essays were reviewed by the IIDA Foundation Board of Trustees and IA Interior Architects. As part of the recognition, scholarship recipients are invited to visit an IA office near their school, all expenses paid, for lunch and to spend time with designers for a real-world learning experience.
First Place
Jieyi Li
Jieyi Li, Student IIDA, of Art Center College of Design (Pasadena CA) was awarded this year’s first-place scholarship award of $5,000 for her essay, “Space + Experience + Collaboration,” viewable here.
Second Place
Shayna Krizan, Student IIDA
University of Wisconsin-Madison’s (Madison, WI) Shayna Krizan, Student IIDA, received the second-place award of $3,000 for her essay, “Thinking Outside the Box,” viewable here.
There were four additional $500 scholarship awards granted for essays that received honorable mentions; the recipients were:
Liwam Beraki
Purdue University
(West Lafayette, IN)
“Building a Bridge Across Disciplines, People, and Thoughts,” viewable here.
Martha Duque
Student IIDA
Purdue University
(West Lafayette, IN)
“Deepening Design through Diversity,” viewable here.
Karla Perez
New York Institute of Technology
(New York, NY)
“Voices in the Industry,” viewable here.
Mahzad Soheili
Student IIDA
Pratt Institute
(Brooklyn, NY)
“To Reach Beyond,” viewable here.
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