Senior Story
Bailey McGrath ’20 and Victoria Bartholomew ’20 Countdown to Graduation
When Bailey McGrath and Victoria Bartholomew met as assigned roommates for NYSID’s summer Pre-college program, they had no idea that five years later, they’d share an apartment and be just months away from earning their BFA degrees in Interior Design. What they did know was that their passion for interior design went deeper than a casual interest. According to Victoria, “Bailey and I were probably the only two rising high school seniors attending the program who knew without a doubt that we were going to pursue a BFA in Interior Design, it was just a question of where.”
Making the NYSID Choice
For Victoria (Instagram: @Vic.Bartholomew), choosing NYSID meant answering the question of whether a smaller, focused college was the right place for her. Upon completion of the precollege program, she knew NYSID was the place, and the two things she questioned early on have turned into her two favorite things about the school. “I love that the school is focused with faculty that are actively working in the interior design industry, and yet accessible. There’s no “professor hierarchy” here where you can’t talk to the main professor.
The difference of NYSID’s faculty approach also became apparent to Victoria when sharing her portfolio with a group of fellow interns from other design schools. “When two students from the same school showed me their portfolios, all the projects looked somewhat similar, so I asked if it had been an ongoing group project. I was genuinely surprised when they said “No.” The professor must have directed so much in terms of what they wanted to see that the students simply executed on that, without much self-expression encouraged. That doesn’t happen at NYSID. The faculty truly know the students and they push us to tap into our instincts, backgrounds and preferences for our design work. Their aim is for our work to be near professional level. As a result, our portfolios are distinct and have tremendous life to them.”
For Bailey (Instagram: @BaileyMcGrath317), pursuing her interior design dreams at NYSID was understanding that it’s not the typical undergraduate experience many high school students seek. “The campus is New York City and my classes are a mix of recent grads as well as students with a range of career experiences. But I go visit my high school friends at other schools, have a good time and then can’t wait to get back to New York City and my classes. I’m exactly where I want to be, doing exactly what I want to be doing.”
“Faculty” and “strength of curriculum” are also what Bailey points to as key differentiators of the NYSID experience. “Right from the start, you appreciate that the faculty are real people with incredible experience who speak to you like colleagues. They care about the students and their interests. The curriculum is designed to really balance interior design and architectural knowledge including things like codes, billing and, CAD, in a way that exposes you to key things you’ll need to be a successful designer.”
New Year, New Decisions
Now embarking on their senior year, the talk is about deciding on a senior thesis topic, and excitement about life after NYSID.
Victoria came to NYSID with a focus on residential design, but her first internship at Skidmore, Owings & Merrill in commercial design radically shifted that focus. “The need for a simple, straightforward approach to take on the complexities of hospitality (hotels and restaurants) design is exiting and highly appealing to me.” Her five-year goal? To be invited back to speak at NYSID. “I have loved all the speakers I listened to as a student and it would be rewarding to give back to the school. I know I’ve got the education and experience to do something amazing after graduation!”
Bailey starts her senior year with extreme confidence gathered from her summer internship with Daniel Romualdez as well as having had her design selected and installed at the prestigious Nantucket by Design. “My first installation was an incredible moment in my life. I’ll never forget the first time I saw all that conceptualizing, planning, and reworking of my designs finally realized in a tangible way within a space. I’m very grateful for the honor and experience.”
NYSID IN 3 WORDS
BAILEY: Informed, Professional, Community
VICTORIA: Passion, Friendly, Creative
Do you know a high school student interested in interior design? Tell them about NYSID’s summer pre-college program!
David Sprouls, president of the New York School of Interior Design, welcomes readers to the Summer 2023 issue of Atelier.
The New York School of Interior Design’s one-year, post-professional Master of Professional Studies in Lighting Design (MPSL) has a 100 percent employment rate for graduates within 6 months of the program’s completion, and has for years…. MPSL Program Director Shaun Fillion, LC, CLCP, Educator IALD, as well as alumni Estefania Diaz ’15 (MPSL) / ’16 (MPSS), Lighting Designer at Ventresca Lighting Designers; Iliana Filotheidi ’19 (MPSL), Senior Lighting Designer at HLB Lighting Design; and Diogo Coelho ’18 (MPSL), Lighting Product Manager at Amerlux, share their insights.
NYSID alum Robert Kaner ’02 (AAS) designed this interior for a couple who had multiple residences and would be spending only part of their time in New York.
2022-23 has been a banner academic year for NYSID students in regard to winning industry-wide competitions.
Interior designers’ relationships with artisans are extremely valuable. Designers and master craftspeople become partners in making, collaborating around every detail to turn their customers’ dreams into reality. Perhaps there’s no one better suited to teach what’s behind this process than Harry Heissmann, the owner of Harry Heissmann Inc. and the instructor of NYSID’s quartet of courses called “Advanced Trade Techniques,” which teach students high-level designing in Custom Upholstery (I), Custom Flooring (II), Custom Wall Treatments (III), and Custom Cabinetry (IV). Heissmann shares his thoughts with Atelier Managing Editor Jennifer Dorr here.
NYSID’s Alumni Council is led by two dynamic designers: President Marie Aiello ’04 (AAS) and Vice-President Krista Gurevich ’16 (MFA1). When alumna Leslie Robinson ’21 (MFA1) caught up with the pair, they were excited to discuss the new Alumni Council Scholarship, which was first awarded at Gala 2023.
“As our leadership team focused on goals for the firm’s next 20 years, we recognized the significance of supporting the academic foundations of our industry. What is a better investment than the continuing education of our future industry leaders?”
NYSID alumna Maria Spears left the NYSID Board of Trustees at the end of 2022, after a six-year tenure, in order to focus on family and traveling the world with her beloved husband, William. From the time she joined the board in May 2016, Spears was a visionary and generous benefactor of the College. Says NYSID president David Sprouls, “If you know Maria, you understand that her energy, vibrance, and enthusiasm are infectious. She’s had a tremendous impact on NYSID’s students in more ways than one.”
On Tuesday, April 11, the New York School of Interior Design held its “Gala 2023” in a private club in New York City, securing more than $600,000 for scholarships. NYSID Trustee Alexa Hampton, emceed, lending both humor and insight to the evening.
On Wednesday, May 24, 2023, the New York School of Interior Design honored the class of 2023 with a graduation ceremony at 92Y’s Kaufmann Concert Hall in New York City. One hundred sixteen interior designers obtained their degrees after much hard work and tenacity. Eighty-five graduates walked the stage.
The New York School of Interior Design’s curricula and offerings are constantly evolving, pushing the standards of design education further. Hear about NYSID’s exciting new hires, projects, and directions here.
With Prohibition, Grace Spiezia and Samantha Berlanga set out to create a full-service healthy dining experience, offering locally sourced, pesticide-free foods in the footprint of a real building in Tribeca. The commercial space includes a market, outdoor eating, restaurant spaces, and a speakeasy, hidden by a secret entrance on the first floor.
Katherine Ugorec’s Canarsie Micro Hospital, located in the landmarked ruin of a former smallpox hospital on Roosevelt Island, is designed to provide patients 12 years and older with access to orthopedic care within 72 hours of injury.
Josefina Ortuzar envisioned her lighting thesis set in a luxury hotel on Lake Louise, located in Banff National Park, Canada. She chose this wild location because it’s one of the places in the world most free of light pollution, a getaway known for its clear night skies full of bright stars and views of the Northern Lights.
David Sprouls, president of the New York School of Interior Design, welcomes readers to the Fall 2022 issue of Atelier.
For this project in Jarinu, a rural municipality in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, NYSID alumna Guta Louro ’19 (MFA2) was tasked with breathing new life into two houses that had been neglected for decades.
Alumna Gail Davis ’11 (AAS), the sole principal of Gail Davis Designs, begins her design discovery with understanding her clients’ lives and psyches intimately. She places an emphasis on designing for African Americans.
NYSID Alumna Kiki Dennis ’00 (AAS) built her own successful residential interior design firm. Then, she became a partner and residential interiors co-lead at the architecture firm Deborah Berke Partners. An interior designer who leads at an architecture firm, she thrives in a collaborative and multidisciplinary environment.
Alumna Marie Aiello ’04 (AAS), owner and principal of Marie Aiello Design Studio and president of NYSID’s Alumni Council, never expected her first hotel project to be a 470-foot-tall, 669-room superstructure in Times Square called TSX Broadway. This is a story of the power of design as a strategic force in real estate development and the potential for a little firm to make a big mark.
Whether you’re searching for a first design job in an expanding or a retracting market, the same principles apply. Three NYSID students, Min Ae Choi (MFA1, graduating 2023), Antonio Harris (MFA1, graduating 2023), and Melida Valera (MFA1, graduating 2024) offer insights about their recent internships at great firms and how they landed them.
There’s a lot of groundwork and networking to do before you apply for a first job. Sascha Flowers, NYSID’s Career Services and Internship Coordinator, is an employment expert and career coach with deep experience in placing designers in jobs that point them toward professional development.
By 1992, architect and designer Jack Travis had already traveled through much of Europe and journeyed to Senegal. But it was his trip to South Africa that year that changed the way he sees the world.
NYSID BFA students on their semester abroad in Portovenere, Italy.
“Through a scholarship at NYSID, I am able to provide someone with the education to pursue a career in our incredible industry and to do it in a city that nurtures by virtue of all it has to offer….”
On Tuesday, May 3, the New York School of Interior Design held its Gala 2022 at the University Club of New York, securing $700,000 for scholarships, a record-breaking number of funds raised at this annual event. It was the first in-person celebration for the NYSID community in more than two years.
On Wednesday, May 25, 2022, the New York School of Interior Design honored the Classes of 2020, 2021, and 2022 with a traditional Commencement ceremony at 92NY’s Kaufmann Concert Hall.
NYSID has a new Associate Dean, Daniel Harper, who has primary oversight of the undergraduate programs. His responsibilities will extend into aspects of every degree program.
In June, NYSID gained a new Director of Admissions with an abundance of experience and a data-driven plan to bring the College to new audiences of potential students (and their parents).
When Wilson Yang ‘22 (MFA1) began Thesis Preparation, he knew he wanted to integrate his passion for his first career of fashion design with his new calling of interior design.
For her capstone project, Wunjin Hwang ‘22 (MFA2) was drawn to the high-end fashion brand Maison Margiela for two reasons. The first is that the brand regards fashion as a form of artistic expression.