Alumni
UCSB Grad Receives Interior Design Professional Designation Degree From FIDM
Interior Design Graduate Kelly Eun already had a B.A. degree in Asian American Studies from University of California, Santa Barbara (and years of work experience) before deciding to go back to school at FIDM. She was invited to participate in a project-based learning challenge at Red Bull, and won. She came up with a themed concept for one of their meeting spaces, playing off of their wings concept. We chatted with the recent grad to learn more about her journey.
Where were you born and raised? Born in Korea, raised in Orange County, CA.
How did you hear about FIDM and the Interior Design major? I came across the program at FIDM while doing my research and saw that they had a Professional Designation Program. It’s a concentrated and accelerated program for those who have a college degree. I’ve always known about FIDM but I mainly associated it with a fashion program until I decided look into it more.
What do you most enjoy about the program and why? As challenging as it was, I liked that the program is packed with technical courses to elevate your career as an interior designer. Most companies these days are looking to hire someone with a technical background as well as other attributes. Although it’s not impossible to have a career without a technical background in interior design, having one is very important. This is one of the biggest differences between an interior designer and an interior decorator. I also appreciated the small class sizes.
At my previous college, it was easy to get lost in a sea of students where there were 500 people in a lecture hall to one professor. And most of the time, the TA’s ran the sections. It’s nice to have the one-on-one relationships with some instructors who offer invaluable advice.
What advice would you give an older student who is going back to school at FIDM? Just dive in and go for it! There’s never a perfect time to go back to school, you just have to make certain sacrifices to do it. It’s never too late to learn and become a better version of yourself. All it takes is a conscious decision to go and the rest will follow.
What are your ultimate career goals? Eventually, I would like to be involved in purposeful projects that is inclusive of diversity, art, design, and humanitarian work on some level. I wouldn’t mind branching out in other areas of interior design as well, for example, designing my own product line or something like that. I also admire women who have built companies from the ground up so it would be amazing to do something like that one day. But for me, I think that my ultimate career goals will manifest as I continue to work hard and stay focused. Whatever it is, I want to make sure that I have integrity in the work that I do, stay grounded, and surround myself with a great support system.
Tell us about the Red Bull Design Challenge you won while at FIDM. What did it entail? It started about nine months ago when I was asked to be a part of the RBDC and toured their headquarters. Students were asked to come up with a design concept and pitch ideas to the Red Bull team. We individually had to come up with a themed concept for one of their meeting spaces where the prompt was to create a warm “home” away from home for the West Business Unit that was a mix of business profession and a business casual environment.
My concept was called “IN-FLIGHT” where I took their wings concept to another level and went from there. I had a chance to meet a lot of great people and definitely learned a lot. It was one of the best experiences I have had as a designer and I am very grateful to have had the amazing opportunity.
Categories: Interior Design Alumni Transfer Student
