(Feb. 4, 2010 – Vermilion, Alberta) When Teresa Simon learned that she had placed third in a North American student design competition she was not only proud of herself, but also of Lakeland College’s interior design technology program.
“My accomplishment is also our program’s accomplishment,” says Simon, of her third place finish in the bathroom segment of the 2009-2010 National Kitchen and Bath Association (NKBA) student design competition.  Originally from Regina, Simon chose to attend Lakeland College because of all the award-winning students its two-year diploma program has produced. Now she’s one of those students. This marks the eighth consecutive year a Lakeland student has received recognition in a competition.

Participants in this year’s NKBA competition were challenged to create a kitchen and/or bathroom design that maintained the historic ambiance of a 1910 home while adding modern conveniences.

“I wanted to create a very warm bathroom with lots of natural elements in the space,” says Simon. Her “Onyx Glow” design features onyx and travertine wall tile, copper fixtures including a copper sink shaped like a tulip, a natural stone vanity countertop and stained glass windows. The open floor plan has a shower with no glass enclosure and in-floor heating. Her submission included a perspective of the space and blueprints.

“I was happy with the design I created but I didn’t expect to do well in the competition,” says Simon. Fortunately she was wrong. Simon learned Jan. 26 that her entry placed third out of 119 entries submitted from colleges and universities throughout North America. She receives a $1,000 prize from the NKBA and two tickets to the Kitchen/Bath Industry Show 2010 this April in Chicago.

The interior design technology program incorporates NKBA’s annual kitchen and bath student design competition into second and third semester class work. “This competition allows us to use the skills we’ve learned in so many of our classes,” says Simon, referring to AutoCad design software, use of materials and textures, construction fundamentals and design theory.

While the award is a nice addition to her résumé, Simon says it also validates her decision to return to school. “I’d worked at Costco for 15 years and decided it was time for a new career. In my 20s I had owned a house and two condos and I always enjoyed renovating rooms. That interest led me to this program.”

The 34-year-old Simon says she wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the program to others. “Our instructors are great and the students are really supportive of each other. It’s challenging and there are a lot of nights when we’re all working in the lab until midnight, but that’s what makes it such a strong program,” says Simon.

After graduation this spring, Simon plans to work in kitchen and bath design. She’s interested not only in creating spaces that look and feel great, but are also very functional. “It’s not just about the design of an area, but also about how people can live in the space.”

Based at Lakeland College’s Vermilion campus, the interior design technology program is the only NKBA-accredited program in Canada. In 2009 the two-year diploma program received an Excellence in Education Award from the NKBA. The award recognizes excellence in design instruction at North American colleges, universities and technical institutes and is based on an annual review process that all schools with NKBA accreditation must complete to maintain certification. Award winners had to earn a score of at least 93 out of a possible 100 points. Lakeland earned 95.