.Student Design Organization Connects Boilermakers with Design Profession
College curricula lay the foundations to master the basics of a field, while organizations and extracurricular experiences offer opportunities to persistently pursue connections to bridge the gap between a degree and the workforce. Through the Student Design Organization (SDO), Purdue students in Indianapolis have the opportunity to take the fundamentals they have learned through rigorous coursework and apply their learning of interior architectural design to the real world of design, building a flourishing network and gaining experiences that they will take into the future.
"It’s important to gain exposure,” says Isabel Houston, president of SDO, “The design and architecture world is a small world and making connections with those inside and outside of the program is so important to get experience. Connections get you further than anything else in the world and are the most integral part of establishing oneself in the design community.”
Students have many opportunities to build connections and learn from those already established in the design community through SDO. The organization hosts lunch-and-learns in which professionals from the industry deliver presentations explaining their experiences over lunch. Members of the organization attend expos for interior design and an annual housing show, Home-A-Rama, experiences that are useful for networking and witnessing trends in design. SDO also hosts a show in which students network with designers and put their skills and projects on display.
“Our largest event of the year is the SDO show,” reflects Houston. “All design students are required to attend and it is invite-only. We invite vendors to purchase a table at the event and students walk through similarly to an expo. Our students enter projects from their classes and professionals come in to judge the projects.”
Outside of the SDO show, through lunch and learns and field trips, students can expand upon their repertoire of knowledge and reflect on the future of design. Their most recent trip was to Home-A-Rama, a self-guided tour of five one-of-a-kind show homes that explore the latest trends in custom home design.
“It’s really cool to see where design is going. We saw some innovative things and met new designers, builders and architects,” Houston says.
Though SDO’s main goal is to prepare students for the professional world, the organization also seeks to make a difference in their community through its various service projects.
“We just had our fall service project working for Purposeful Design,” explains Houston. “We find it very important to be involved in the community.”
Working in hand with Purposeful Design, members of SDO cleaned and tidied their furniture workshop. Since 2013, individuals experiencing homelessness have been employed in the furniture shop to build valuable skills and rebuild their lives.
The Student Design Organization is part of the growing student organization community on the Indianapolis campus. Their goal is to help interior design students succeed both professionally and educationally.
“We want to help you succeed and know what the field is all about before you get into it,” Houston says, “We always are looking for more members!”
Purdue students in Indianapolis interested in learning more and getting involved can check out the organization’s Instagram or find them on Boilerlink for further details and meeting times. By joining SDO, students don’t just learn about design, they immerse themselves in the professional world, gaining the experience, connections and skills needed to succeed.