Students enrolled in the Interior Design program at Villa Maria College were honored with a First Place Award in this year’s “Designer Showcase,” competition. The event was held as part of the annual “Festival of Trees” celebration at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Buffalo. Awards were presented in several categories and displays featured trees, wreaths, vignettes and window displays. Villa students, together with their faculty advisors, designed and installed a holiday window display in a blind jury competition conducted by 40 judges. Villa Maria College was the only school that participated in the event, competing for award honors alongside professional and award-winning designers.
Interior design students Joseph Battaglia, Danielle Bishop, Savana Czekalski and Constance Strother represented Villa Maria College at the awards ceremony along with interior design professors Sandra Reicis,Natalia Albul and Paul Brinkworth
“This was truly a group project as well as a service learning project,” said Art Department Chair and Professor of Interior Design, Sandra Reicis. We are proud of all of our students and applaud their time, dedication and talents.”
Other participants in the project included Villa students Eric Sowers, Jessica Foster, Julie Gordon, Jason Cole, Kristin Wing, Michelle Wild, Ginny Gallersdorfer, and faculty member Sister Kelly. Villa Maria College’s Interior Design program is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA). CIDA-accredited programs assure the public that interior design education prepares students to be responsible, well-informed, skilled professionals who make beautiful, safe, and comfortable spaces that also respect the earth and its resources.
