Pratt Institute Interior Design Department commenced its 21st annual Pratt Career Night in the newly renovated MillerKnoll showroom on Park Avenue South in Manhattan on April 10.
Hosted once again this year by the eminent MillerKnoll Regional Manager Suzette Rhodes, both professionals and students enjoyed an elegant and sophisticated environment that included furniture by Eero Saarinen, Florence Knoll, Mies van der Rohe, Harry Bertoia and other design icons.
MillerKnoll said it is proud to partner with Pratt on the event. The company has hosted the event for four years in New York. “It’s inspiring to watch students connect with leading design firms and share their work,” according to Rhodes. “I want to thank all the firms that joined us, and I am so appreciative of their commitment in investing in the future of our industry. It is wonderful to see Pratt dedicated to nurturing the next generation of design talent. We are honored to support this important work.”
The participating firms this year included Gensler, HOK, Perkins & Will, Rockwell Group, Gachot Studio, IA, Origin, and Rottet Studio, respectively. A multitude of diverse design types were well represented from hospitality and workplace, to healthcare and education, providing incredible opportunities for students to show their portfolios, discuss their interests and skills, and hear about the possibilities for future employment working as professional interior designers.
In the many years since I co-founded this event, we’ve been able to provide our graduating interior design students with a very focused opportunity to speak with design professionals from some of the best design firms in New York City about possible employment opportunities. It’s a wonderful evening in an inspiring environment surrounded by great furniture to help articulate their goals and vision to work as professional designers.
The evening was charged with a positive and nervous energy as 60 or so students anxiously waited their turn to meet with and present to the professionals. With Pratt’s 21 year history there is clearly no coincidence that a number of the professionals doing the interviewing were Pratt grads who had previously been on the other side of the table, going through this same exercise.
Several firms like HOK, have been participating for over a decade, and Tom Polucci, design director and principal has been to a number of them. When asked about the work and the students, Tom stated:
“Fantastic. What a great group of designers. All very poised and polished. There definitely were candidates that we would consider for employment at HOK. We look for individuals that are well versed in the technology we use, that are clear and concise in their verbal presentations, demonstrate a passion for learning and design.”
As the current state of business and our industry are in an uneasy place, students arrived to the event not knowing what to expect, some with internships, some perhaps resolved to returning back to their home country. Most would prefer to remain in New York, and find a position with firms like the ones participating in the evening’s event. Generally, there is an inherent optimism and hope that I’ve found in my discussions with students, many of whom I’ve taught in courses at Pratt. And one idea that recurs is to have a more diverse range of knowledge and interests in this shifting business climate.
As Jim Camp, Principal at IA noted: “We saw several students who had a wide variety of experience in interior design, architecture, sustainability and real estate. Broadening their experience allows students to have a deeper understanding of the advantages and challenges that these global issues bring to any design opportunity.”
Proudly, Pratt Career Night has had a successful record of introducing students to prospective employers, and whether that occurs immediately or in the future, we cherish the fact that we’ve got many talented graduates out working in these prestigious firms, learning the ropes, several now design directors and associates, like James Cull of Rottet Studio. Cull was a Pratt graduate student and is now leading the Rottet Studio New York office.
“I always remind students that professional connections can literally pop-up anywhere — your guest juror during a critique, a conversation with a panelist after an event, a showroom tour with their rep, or even the person sitting next to you on a flight,” he said. “It is important to meet people in-person and develop strong relationships. Employers are more likely to engage with you, if you’ve met face-to-face. These meaningful types of connections will give you an advantage.”
A very recent graduate, Zhen Li, who found his position as interior designer with Perkins & Will at Pratt Career Night a couple of years ago, discussed his experience that evening that led to his current role:
“It’s a golden opportunity to let your light shine — even if you start off a little shaky,” he said. “I still vividly remember the very first firm I interviewed with that night. Honestly? It was a total disaster. I wasn’t making much sense, I misunderstood questions, and I left the table thinking, Whelp, that went badly. But something amazing happened: by the third or fourth conversation, I started to pick up patterns in the recruiters’ questions. I began to understand my own projects more deeply and talk about them more clearly. I relaxed. I got better — fast. And that’s something only this kind of real-time, rapid-fire experience can give you.”
Brian Tolman, principal at Origin, which has been participating for three years and has hired a graduate student directly from Pratt Career Night, commented on the type of candidate that will succeed with his firm:
“The number one thing we look at with new hires is a growth mindset, an eagerness to learn and an openness to knowledge. We know we will have to do a tremendous amount of OTJ training with new graduates, and we seek out those who we think will absorb ad build on that knowledge. We are also a small firm, so self-starters and those with an entrepreneurial approach are more appealing. That said, there were several great candidates that we met at the PCN. We look forward to hearing from them and talking more.
“And in 2023, We hired Stefanie Alpert from the PCN, and she has been an amazing addition to our team. She joined me at the table tonight o meet this year’s candidates.”
For some of our current crop of students, their experience this year was informative. Yeva Rajpal, fourth year undergrad from India who is looking for a position in New York related: “It’s a great opportunity to meet with a variety of diverse firms and to hear how they are thinking about design and what their needs are and what they are looking for in young designer — my main feedback was to present my work in a larger format to show more, about how to better organize it to get the most out my work.”
Graduate student Renata Milton, from Brazil, has a degree in psychology and came back to graduate school to study at Pratt in her 30s. After a career path that eventually led her to work for an energy sustainability firm, she was introduced to architecture and construction firms and that fostered her interest in interior design.
“Coming to this kind of event is a rich opportunity to get feedback and understand industry expectations and how we can adapt to and enhance our experience and skills and while its a little stressful, its a comfortable place and everyone has been very kind and helpful, but direct as well,” she said.
In my view, as an instructor, designer, and observer, this is a valuable evening on many levels for the students, for the professionals, and for our host MillerKnoll. All of us benefit from the experience in multiple ways, and so does our industry. Honestly, every year it’s an optimistic view towards the future – to creating a relevant and memorable experience that will hopefully continue to inspire all of us as we endeavor to create meaningful, equitable, and sustainable environments for our clients and for people all over the world. I’ve found these ideals to be deeply imbedded in this generation of students, and I say bravo!
Editor’s Note: Jon Otis is a tenured professor at Pratt Institute where he has taught for 26 years. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Moravian University, and master’s degree in design from the University of Massachusetts. Otis’ credentials include having been awarded a Fulbright Fellowships to Italy where he spent three years working with Ettore Sottsass’ design studio in Milan. Otis was honored as the 2017 IIDA Educator of the Year, and was awarded the 2021 Robert Herbstman Memorial Leadership Award and 2025 Comenius Alumni Lifetime Achievement from Moravian University.
