Now that humanity spends more than 90% of its time indoors, senior Interior Design (ID) major Kristin Abrahamson says that interior design is more crucial than ever to our mental and physical well-being. Kristin's fascination with the psychological effects a space has on its occupants eventually inspired her to become an Interior Design major at Texas Tech.

Kristin says that the Interior Design program at Texas Tech University is unique in its introductory approach to teaching students about interior design. Students are first taught residential design with an emphasis on hand drafting. Students are then led into commercial work, at which point students can use computer programs to assist with the design process. Kristin has recently been using what she's learned from her undergraduate program at an internship with Parkhill, Smith & Cooper (PSC).

"One of the best parts about my experiences as a Parkhill, Smith & Cooper intern is that they have been incredibly diverse," Kristin said.

At PSC, Kristin has been able to help interior designers with a variety of projects at various stages in design and construction. Kristin says that besides working on standard design tasks, she has been able to write a white paper, develop a website, and even shoot a short video for the company. Kristin's experience at PSC has undoubtedly prepared her for a future interior design career.

"Being an intern for the past year and a half has opened my eyes to the positive impact of successful design solutions upon actualization."

After graduating this May, Kristin plans to attend graduate school. So far Kristin has applied to 10 schools, hoping to increase her chances of admission. Kristin is waiting to hear back from her top choice, Texas Tech. If Kristin is accepted into Texas Tech's graduate program, she would hope to continue her internship with PSC.

Kristin has been active during her time here at Texas Tech. She has represented the Honors College as an Undergraduate Research Scholar, the College of Human Sciences as a LeaderShape Institute Scholar, and more recently as a competitor at the 2018 Annual TEXO Design-Build Competition.

At the Design-Build Competition, Kristin and her fellow creators designed, compiled, and presented a request for proposal (RFP) for an 80,000-square-foot addiction recovery and rehabilitation center. This was Kristin's first year to participate, with Texas Tech team's winning first place in the Design-Build Category.

"The most important lesson I've learned throughout my time in college and at my internship is to never shy away from an opportunity to learn.”