Students, Emerging Professionals Connect with Leading NYC-Based Architecture & Design Firms
The International Interior Design Association’s New York Chapter (IIDA NY) is proud to announce the success of its second annual Career Night, held on April 9th at the Allsteel showroom in Manhattan. The event welcomed more than 200 students and emerging professionals in design and architecture to connect with leaders from leading New York City-based firms for an evening of mentorship, networking, and career development.
“As someone who got my start through IIDA NY, I’m living proof of how impactful these initiatives can be,” said Paridhi Chawla, event coordinator of Career Night. “This event is all about opening doors. We provided an all-inclusive environment where students and emerging professionals feel seen, supported, and inspired. The incredible turnout and generosity of the professionals who showed up and our generous sponsors speak volumes about our community’s commitment to mentoring the next generation.”
Career Night was founded last year by IIDA NY’s Student Development Vice Presidents, Robin Reigi and Elisabeth Mejia. In partnership with the chapter’s Professional Development committees, this year’s event offered career advancement opportunities—including one-on-one portfolio reviews, mock interviews, a headshot studio, and forum discussions. Participating firms included Perkins & Will, Roman and Williams, Rockwell Group, Meyer Davis, Perkins Eastman, HKS, Corgan, Gensler, Bjarke Ingles Group, Spacesmith, TPG, Stantec, MKDA, Huntsman, ZGF, Ted Moudis Associates, and Interior Architects.
A highlight of the event, Mavis Wiggins—recently retired Managing Executive and Studio Creative Director at TPG Architecture and a long-standing IIDA NY member—delivered a keynote address to encourage and empower attendees. In recognition of her remarkable contributions to the industry and the organization, she was honored with a special dedication.
Career Night also marked the debut of IIDA NY’s inaugural America ByDesign: Architecture competition, a groundbreaking collaboration with the acclaimed television series, for students and emerging designers. Joseph Olivieri, Project Specialist at Corgan, Co-Chair of IIDA NY’s Knowledge Forum Committee, and recipient of the chapter’s 2023 Hazel Siegel Scholarship, was honored with the Emerging Designer award. Morgan Jourdin, a School of Visual Arts sophomore, took home the Student prize. Both winners will have the unique opportunity to present a project on an upcoming season of America ByDesign.
As part of its ongoing commitment to inspiring the next generation of design professionals, IIDA NY’s Design Camp—an educational initiative for K-12 students—awarded scholarships to five outstanding high school students. This year’s recipients included Aaron Anderson and Victoria Grodzki of Art and Design High School; Muzic Attmore of Urban Assembly Maker Academy; Arlenis Polanco of Brooklyn International High School; and Diana Zumba of Brooklyn Tech High School.
IIDA NY would like to thank its sponsors for Career Night, which included: Daltile, Arc-Com, Sherwin Williams, Robin Reigi, Certainteed, KI, Duravit, Allsteel, and Momentum Textiles and Wallcovering.
About IIDA NY
The IIDA New York Chapter (IIDA NY)—an inclusive community of creative and diverse professionals, industry partners and students—celebrates design, encourages collaboration, shares knowledge and advocates for the interior design community. This professional networking and educational association provides invaluable resources to over 700 members in 10 specialty forums to enhance their expertise, knowledge and contacts. IIDA NY is proudly committed to design advocacy, sustainability, civic engagement, student mentorship and development, as well as diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. For more information, visit: http://www.iidany.org/.