Interior Design Student Earns RED Award
College of DuPage Interior Design student Sara Venecek earned The Michelle Roberts Student Award during the Illinois Chapter of the International Interior Design Association's fourth annual professional design competition, the Recognizing Exemplary Design (RED) Awards.
The 2016 event attracted 81 submissions from more than 40 Illinois-based design firms and designers, with entries for the Michelle Roberts Student Award coming from design schools across the state. Venecek (Lombard) also received an award of $2,000 for her entry entitled "Localese," which consisted of a six-page slideshow of images representing her design.
"Just as important as receiving the RED Award was being honored in front of so many design professionals, my future peers," she said.
Venecek currently works part-time at the Chicago design firm O'Kelly + Kasprak. She initially earned her bachelor's degree in art but didn't pursue this as a career.
"I worked for many years as an administrative assistant but did not find that career to be personally fulfilling," she said. "My goal was to change careers, and I was looking for one that allowed me to be creative. I wanted to go back to school but was afraid of taking on big student loans. College of DuPage helped me pursue my goal without having to incur student loan debt. And COD's Interior Design program obviously has prepared me to be competitive in my field, as proved by the RED award!"
Earlier in the year, Venecek and fellow COD Interior Design student Allison Schutz took first place in the Commercial Contract Division during a design charrette sponsored by the Illinois chapter of the American Society of Interior Designers.
Venecek's goal is to work as a designer in the hospitality industry, and she knows College of DuPage has provided her with a strong foundation to do so.
"I am a big advocate for community colleges in general," she said. "I went to a community college straight out of high school on my way to a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, and I felt it was one of the smartest decisions I ever made. I was able to complete all of my general education requirements at a fraction of what I would have paid at the four-year college I later attended, but I graduated with the same bachelor's degree. So I had no hesitation in considering COD when I decided to make a career change and go back to school.
"COD's Interior Design program prepares you to be successful in the real world of interior design. The instructors are engaged and incredibly supportive, as are the students. It feels like a family. I would like to thank one of my instructors, Shelly Mocchi, because my Localese project was an assignment given in her class. Shelly gave me the freedom to do what I wanted to do, then pushed me to do my best work. Her expertise was so valuable to me in executing this project."
College of DuPage is an accredited community college that serves more than 29,000 students each term. The College, which grants nine associate degrees and more than 170 certificates in 100 areas of study, is the second largest provider of public undergraduate education in Illinois.
For more information about the Interior Design program, visit www.cod.edu/programs/interior_design, call (630) 942-2502 or email gayanna@cod.edu.