Interior Design Program, One Decade In, Has Alumni Mentors for Students

NJIT's interior design program has new opportunities for students to learn career, leadership and life skills from alumni mentors, as its graduate population that started with the original class of 2012 expands, enters higher levels of their field and looks to give back.

The idea evolved during the COVID-19 pandemic from alumnae Alma Villalba and Pamela Ospina, who in their current jobs observed colleagues from other universities serving as mentors and saw the potential for their own alma mater.

Both said they originally learned the value of mentorship from a mutual mentor of theirs, Vivian Lawler, during their own student internships at global design firm Gensler a few years ago. They realized they could do the same with help from other former classmates and graduates, sharing their suggestion with David Brothers, a senior university lecturer and the current interior design program coordinator within the School of Art + Design, who was receptive to the idea.

"It began as an ad-hoc effort when Alma and Pam reached out to me over the summer. For the fall semester, they initiated a roundtable discussion [with] three professionals representing different career paths  in interior design. It was an hour-long event, online of course, in early November. Pam and Alma moderated the discussion and it was quite successful with nearly every interior design student joining at the time," Brothers explained.

"Now we're looking at trying to initiate some more events and connections for the alumni to help give back to NJIT with more one-on-one feedback to the current students. The goal is to create a community of NJIT-educated designers for life," he added.

"The interior design program is extremely tight when all of the students are here. There's amazing esprit de corps … I don't think there's a program on campus that's as close-knit, but that's harder to maintain in the working world. It’s hoped that the mentorship program can also become a strong recruiting tool."

Mentoring is about listening, advocating and helping propel others to grow and reach their best potential. It is about investing time in others.

Brothers and the alumnae are keenly aware that many people outside of their industry think of interior design as mere decoration, but the Hillier College of Architecture and Design program is much more than that, emphasizing the latest technology for commercial and institutional design which can lead to a variety of career paths. Students might work for architecture firms; commercial and residential interior design firms; or work in lighting and furniture design; or choose to attend graduate school for architecture. "It's a broader discipline and profession than most people realize," Brothers noted. He cited one alumnus, Tristan Pashalian ’12, who forged a career designing luxury watercraft for global clients at Viking Yacht Co. located in the Jersey shore town of Bass River.

"I didn't realize it until now as an adult and being in the field, how much my professors became my mentors," said Villalba, who now works as a designer for start-up company NJ Laminates, in Fairfield. She described herself and Ospina as introverts sitting in the back of the classroom, but said that faculty such as Brothers and University Lecturer Ana Penalba Estebanez took the time to learn the needs of all students, which was one of their first mentorship lessons for how to treat clients.

Later, the alumnae learned that just as faculty stay in touch with graduates, so too must graduates stay in touch with the current students and young professionals who they mentor — especially during the pandemic, as students are lacking their usual social interactions. "You want to follow up with that person so they become part of your inner circle," rather than just giving some advice, Villalba said, adding that she'd like to see the new mentorship program start with first-year students, rather than waiting until students are older and beginning their job searches.

Lawler, who attended the New York-based School of Visual Arts, said she personally wishes she had a mentor during her student years. She leads the materials library at the Gensler office in Morristown, where she works with many Hillier graduates, and said that typical tours for current students aren't enough. In response she developed a student mentorship day to teach them about topics such as client relationships and how professional studio culture differs from academic culture. Job interview tips are also part of the education. Other events that she organizes for Gensler's younger staff include materials discussions and a software product fair.

One thing Lawler learned is that, when taking on younger people to mentor, it's important for the mentor to understand that learning goes both ways. Younger people like those from NJIT can provide new perspectives, particularly regarding technology solutions to client problems. "They might have better ideas than I do," she observed.

"Mentoring is about listening, advocating and helping propel others to grow and reach their best potential. It is about investing time in others," Lawler said. "Gensler is an employee-owned company and we are always about putting people first."

Students and alumni can learn more about mentoring opportunities and can view job opportunities at the NJIT Highlander Nation website. Students may also consider opportunities available through peer mentoring.