Hillier College's Leah-Marie Boake Wins Industrial Design Awards Galore
Leah-Marie Boake, Industrial Design ’26, and Albert Dorman Honor's College student, is distinguishing herself and the Industrial Design program at Hillier College with a nearly 12-month run of awards and recognitions.
In December 2025, Boake was recognized at the Industrial Designer’s Society of America (IDSA) NYC Winter Gala with the Student Achievement Award. In September, she was awarded the School of Art + Design Chair’s Award as well as the R-Way Tooling Scholarship. In June of 2025, she won The Formica Corporation’s 2025 FORM Student Innovation Competition, which followed on the heels of being selected the winning Industrial Designer in April 2025 at the Hillier College Design Showcase.
Industrial Designer’s Society of America (IDSA) Student Achievement Award
With the distinction of the Student Achievement Award at IDSA NYC, Boake was invited to share a video of her background and inspiration at the event. She tells the story of how the emphasis on play, imagination and nature during her formative years developed her creativity. Boake credits her mother with providing that ‘play space’ that made so much difference on who she is as a designer.
“I’m so honored to have been awarded the Student Achievement Award at the IDSA NYC Gala! I’m also excited that my submission, a video of my work and my passion behind design was showcased during the event,” said Boake.
Formica Corporation’s 2025 FORM Student Innovation Competition
Every year, The Formica Corporation sponsors a competition to support student design innovation, sending the winner to the NeoCon furniture and interior design convention in Chicago to exhibit their work and participate in panel discussions.
Boake’s winning design entry was entitled Playce. She used ten different Formica Group laminate colors to show their product capabilities and color range.
“Seeing my work fabricated full scale for the first time was such an exciting and rewarding experience! When designing Playce, a pull-out desk and playhouse for kids, I wanted to achieve a space where kids can let their imaginations run wild, while also providing function and storage for their parents,” said Boake.
Design Showcase 2025 – Harmony Bench
In December of 2024, Boake debuted her bench with studio mates at the Newark Museum of Art Zine Fest. In April of 2025, she submitted it for consideration for the Hillier College Design Showcase. The Design Showcase is the annual student exhibition and fundraising event featuring awards presentations to both distinguished alumni and students. Each year, the highlight is the exhibition of student work, representing the highest GPA and the excellent design projects. The industrial design winner is invited to design the alumni awards for the next year’s event. Currently, Boake’s winning design, Harmony, is featured on the invite for the event, and she is prototyping the alumni awards for the 2026 Design Showcase.
“I believe design should motivate people to keep learning, create moments that spark wonder, and encourage more artists and creative thinkers. I love pursuing this vision, bringing my projects to life, and seeing my work inspire others. I couldn’t imagine myself doing anything else.”
Boake's portfolio can be viewed here.