Emerging Professionals Archive
The Value of Networking at Professional Conferences for Students
Emily Carpenter, Danielle Tallman, Amy Lynn Duwell and Rebecca Wydra
President of the University of Wisconsin Madison ASID Student Chapter
Posted: 5/5/07
As ASID Student Members, we have access to an abundant number of privileges. However, some of the best opportunities are not taken advantage of very often. I made the decision early on that I would make a strong effort to participate in as many ASID events as I could. I wanted to make my membership worth while. I felt one of the best ways to make the best of my membership would be to run for a Student Chapter Board position. Therefore, I have spent my senior year at the University of Wisconsin-Madison as the ASID Student Chapter President. As president, I was invited to attend CLC: The ASID Chapter Leadership Conference. And so began my year of attending amazing professional conferences.
At my first professional conference, I was, like many student attendees, a little nervous about the new experience. Luckily, I come from Wisconsin and have tremendous support from our fabulous professional ASID Chapter. The Wisconsin Chapter recognizes the importance of supporting their student members. Not only do they fully fund their student chapter presidents’ attendance at CLC, they also plan dinner outings and truly care about getting to know their student members. CLC was an amazing experience. I received excellent training for my coming year of student chapter leadership, listened to wonderful keynote speakers and learned that networking with professionals is not quite as intimidating as it seems.
Attending a professional conference gives a person the itch to attend another. So, I signed up to attend Greenbuild International Conference and Expo in Denver, Colorado. I am very passionate about sustainable design and decided Greenbuild would be a wonderful opportunity to learn more and network with professionals in the field. Greenbuild was absolutely phenomenal. I met a large number of professionals working in exactly the field I aspire to work in after I graduate. I met professionals that I still stay in contact with today and hope to work with in the future.
Finally, I attended Interiors 07: The ASID Conference on Design in San Francisco, California. While Greenbuild was specific to my interest in sustainability, Interiors is a conference that addresses all areas of design. No matter what your passion, a person can find educational sessions to attend. And again, Interiors 07 gave me an opportunity to network with professionals. Though approaching a professional well known around the United States can be intimidating, it can also be rewarding. I overcame my nerves, spoke to a professional idol of mine and made a great contact and mentor for the future. Upon returning home, I made an effort to stay in contact with the professionals I met and have been successful doing so. Had I not attended a professional conference, these connections for future opportunities would never have been made.
In conclusion, I encourage all ASID Student Members to attend at least one professional conference. A person gains confidence and experience in networking with professionals and peers, sees amazing keynote speakers, gains knowledge from educational sessions and has the opportunity to tour a new city. So much of our future as designers depends upon networking and who we know – attending these conferences puts a person a step ahead of his/her competition. There is so much to gain! Get out there and find the conference that interests you. Do you also have a passion for sustainable design? Greenbuild is in Chicago next year. Do you want to be a kitchen or bath designer? Attend a NKBA conference. Do you want to attend a conference that offers a wide variety of design topics? Attend Interiors 08. No matter what your interests are, there is a professional conference for you!
WCTC STUDENT CHAPTER ASID PROFESSIONAL ROUNTABLE
Bill Beaudreau, ASID
Matthew Kerr, ASID
Students
President of the Waukesha County Technical College ASID Student Chapter 2007
Posted: 5/5/07
This is our first year as an ASID Wisconsin Student Chapter. Early on, our Student Chapter Board Members met to plan our 2006-2007 school year. With a number of events on our calendar, one of those was to have a Student/Mentor Day, where students would contact professionals and coordinate a time to shadow them for a day. We asked for a committee to spearhead this process, but received no takers. We suspected some students might have felt intimidated contacting professionals they didn’t know. So, after giving it further thought, we had an idea….why not bring the professionals to the students – and the process began.
With the help of our student advisor, Leslie Lawton, ASID, we selected professionals from various areas of both Commercial and Residential Design. We knew that mixing it up would be a great way for students to meet some talented professionals in all facets of the industry and to get a lot of their questions answered. We were pleasantly surprised that most everyone we contacted was more than happy to help out at our event. Given the number of students who signed up for the event, approximately 50, we figured about how many professionals we’d like at the event. We lined up 14 professionals who graciously gave of their time to meet with our students. Prior to the event, we contacted each professional and had him or her send us a photo and bio of themselves to include in a booklet we made up for each student and professional attending. In addition, ASID Wisconsin Chapter graciously gave us pens and notepads for each attendee. The event, which we called our “Professional Roundtable”, was held on Tuesday, November 14, 2006. It was held in the Richard T. Andersen Education Center at the Waukesha County Technical College campus from 4:00 PM until 6:00 PM. The format of the program was fine-tuned in advance and went beautifully. Each student and professional received a booklet after checking in. We had tables set up for groups of students and professionals. We began the program by giving a brief introduction of the professionals and outlining the format of our event. We then sent two professionals to each table of students. Every ten minutes, we rotated professionals from table to table - this way, every student met every professional. It was a very comfortable setting where students could really ask whatever questions they wanted of the professionals. We were able to take a refreshment break about half-way through the event, and finished off with an open forum of questions and answers. The event went just as we had planned! We ended up with about 35 students attending. We received all positive comments from both the students and the professionals. So, for our first year as a recognized ASID Student Chapter, this was a great event to get us off the ground.
NEW UWSP Student Chapter Website
Ashlee Wendorf, Student Member ASID
Student Representative to the Board
Posted: 5/5/07
The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point ASID Student Chapter has a new website with a wonderful new look! Please take the opportunity to glance over their new addition at the link below; it is truly a great accomplishment for this year’s student chapter. Comments can be passed on to the Student Chapter Web Designer Laura Kneebone at lknee029@uwsp.edu.
Website: http://www.uwsp.edu/stuorg/asid/
New ASID Student Chapter at Madison Area Technical College
Posted: 5/5/07
Welcome to the new Student Chapter of ASID at Madison Area Technical College! The MATC Madison ASID Student Chapter is already off to a great start with over 30 members in their chapter. The students are excited to be holding elections for officers soon and plan to meet this summer to prepare their Strategic Plan for next year.
MATC Madison students in the program graduate with an Associate Degree in Interior Design. Annually, graduates showcase their work at a portfolio show at Monona Terrace Convention Center. This year, 22 graduates will display their work in the fields of Kitchen and Bath, Residential and Commercial Design along with rendering, lighting and interior materials specifications. The interior design program at MATC Madison continues to be on the forefront of design curriculum, and will offer a new course “Trends and Issues in Interior Design” next year. This course will emphasize Sustainable Design and design considerations for Aging in Place. WELCOME MATC - MADISON!
New ASID Student Chapter at Milwaukee Area Technical College
Posted: 5/5/07
We would like to welcome Milwaukee Area Technical College as a new student chapter to ASID. The interior design program at MATC has been around for about 20 years in varying formats, and this year is proud to have 52 students (Dec/May) graduating from the Associate Degree program. Notable accomplishments for the design program include first place recognition in the NARI student design competition in January as well as two design teams participating in the Breast Cancer Showhouse this summer. The program itself is quite broad, offering students two disciplines of study - Track One is the Foundations program which gives students a strong base for a career in interior design, with emphasis on kitchen and bath design and color theory. Track Two is the Specializations program which recognizes industry trends, with emphasis on facilities design, healthcare codes and finishes and hospitality design. Issues on sustainability and responsibility are integrated into all of the course offerings. The program continues to have a strong reputation in the Milwaukee area with excellent job placement after graduation - MATC grads are working all over the city as facility planners, specifiers, manufacturer's reps and in furniture sales etc... We look forward to learning more about the program and meeting all of the students. WELCOME MATC - MILWAUKEE!
SUBMISSION DEADLINE JUNE 1, 2007 for ASID WI Student Member 2007 Scholarship
Posted: 4/28/07
The American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Wisconsin Chapter is proud to announce the ASID WI Student Member 2007 Scholarship Program. The board approved, as part of the 2006-07 Strategic Plan and Budget, three one thousand dollar scholarships. This is another wonderful benefit for the ASID Wisconsin student members. The scholarship takes into consideration the student’s grades, portfolio and leadership within ASID and the design community. Students of all levels are encouraged to apply.
The application guidelines have been formatted to allow the applicant to fill in the blanks. There are two separate word files for the application. Please make sure all forms are completed and submitted.
If you have any questions please email Pat Kluetz, ASID pkluetz@uwsp.edu or Heather Westgor heather@wamllc.net .
Please note the following deadlines (see application forms below for more details):
- All submission materials shall be postmarked no later than the June 1, 2007.
- All submission materials are to be sent or delivered to the ASID WI Chapter Administrator Heather Westgor at 11801 West Silver Spring Drive, Suite 200, Milwaukee, WI 53225. Her phone number is (414) 755-3354.
- Award recipients will be notified by mail August 1, 2007 and certificates will be presented to the students at the ASID WI Annual Meeting in September 2007.
For application information, download the instructions and forms here:
Student Kitchen and Bath Design Competition
Posted: 1/27/07
The Wisconsin/Upper Michigan Chapter of NKBA is holding its annual "Dreams to Reality" Design Competition. Students may submit a project, either kitchen or bath, of any size, that they have designed. Student entrants do not need to be NKBA members to enter. All entries must be postmarked by May 31, 2007. CASH prizes will be awarded to first, second and third place winners! See the Rules and Regulations and the Judging Criteria for more information.
New ASID Student Chapter at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design
Posted: 1/27/07
Welcome and congratulations to Wisconsin's newest Student Chapter of ASID at Milwaukee Institute of Art and Design! The Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design (MIAD) is an accredited college providing a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Interior Architecture + Design among other majors. The college was founded as MIAD in 1974, but formed from the Layton School of Art & Design, which began instruction in 1920. There are, on average, about 600 full-time MIAD students and about 200 staff/faculty in the college. All faculty are working artists, designers, writers and researchers; there are also instructors who are working professionals, many are ASID members. We look forward to seeing MIAD ASID Student Chapter members at future chapter events! For more information about MIAD visit www.miad.edu.
Wisconsin Student Chapter Newsletter
Posted: 11/24/07
My name is Ashlee Wendorf and I am a fourth year student in the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Interior Architecture Program. I have been granted the pleasure to be the Student Representative to the Board (SRB) for Wisconsin’s 2007 year.
I serve as a link between the Professional Board, Student Advisory Council, and the student membership at large. As a way to accomplish this responsibility I have put together the ‘Wisconsin Student Chapters’ Newsletter. This newsletter is created from reports from Student Chapter Presidents of UW-Madison, UW-Stevens Point, Waukesha County Technical College, Gateway Technical College, and Mount Mary College. In this newsletter the Student Presidents talk about accomplishments and struggles, fundraisers, and upcoming events going on with their chapters this year. Enjoy!
October 30, 2006 Student Chapter Newsletter
NEW: “Chair”ity Auction scheduled for October 27th at Gateway
Posted: 9/24/06
The ASID student chapter at Gateway Technical College will be holding their 4th annual “Chair”ity Auction on Friday October 27th, 2006. The auction is an event that is designed to raise funds for the chapter’s activities and for a local charity.
Last year the chapter raised three thousand dollars and this year they hope to double that. The auction includes a silent and live auction. The silent auction will include chairs that have been painted, reupholstered, and artistically redesigned by students involved in the program. The live auction will include donated pieces from several home improvement stores, furniture stores, and private donors.
The event starts at 7pm and will be held on the Gateway Technical College Kenosha campus in the Madrigano Conference center. All are invited to come and support our well deserved charity and the chapter. Their will be food, drinks, door prizes, and more. For more information on this event please contact the Gateway chapter at ASIDWIGTC@yahoo.com.