During my senior year in high school, I entered a work/study program where I became the personal design assistant to the owner of a local residential interior design firm. I continued in this role through my first two years of college, and I soaked up as much as I could about the industry, customer service, and design, fueling my eagerness to pursue further studies in design. When I relocated to Waco, TX to complete my interior design degree at Baylor University, I worked as an assistant part-time with another local residential designer to help strengthen my core design skills (drawing, sketching, selections, and working with clients).
About the same time, I discovered hospitality design and it was love at first sight. I was inspired by the projects and the top industry leaders and I made a point to learn as much as I could about the industry. I was fortunate to meet Deborah Lloyd Forrest at a student-led ASID Design Summit and stayed in touch with her through the balance of my schooling and she quickly became a mentor to me. I did my internship with her and later my first hospitality design job post-graduation with her firm.