. In the spring semesterof2009. H arding's Inte rior Design PI'ogram r ece ived a s ix- year accreditation, the highest form o f acc reditation the Council for Interior Design Accreditation grants . With the h elp of Inte rior Design Program Coordinator Amy Cox and se ni o r inte rior design maj or Caitlin Quinn , graduates n ow had more j ob oppo rtunities after leaving Harding. Be fo r e the accreditation , Harding graduates were n Ot given the sam e o pponun ities as graduates from accredited schoo ls. "Why have a prog ram at all if it 's not one th at allows th em to go whe r e they want and practice? " Cox said. "Not h aving accredi tation was an injus tice to t he students. '" In spring 200 9 , after six year s of adjusting co urses and coll ecting stud ents ' work , three site visitors from the C IDA came to evaluate the program. They met with the students , fa culty and administrati o n. Senio r Caitlin Quinn was chosen to intenriew with the sit e visitors . " I picked students that wouldn' t panic and the on es that we re m os t enthusiastic and knowledgeable about Inte rior Design and the profession," Cox said. "Caitlin has been a great asset b ecause she is one of th e stud ents that set the bar in her classes. She came in h er first year with a ve ry focu sed and mature attitude and that is h e r di stinguishing trait. " Quinn had examples of her work in the gallery from h e r freshman sketch es to se nio r projects. She was a bridge that linked what was seen o n pape r to reality. " It was a little intimidating because I knew what was riding on it , b ut I tr ied not to let that get in the way," Quinn said. Passio n ate ab ou t her work , Quinn had a lot o f expe ri ence with pl'ojects, jobs and internships. " Interior Design is so much m o re than picking out colors and fabrics," Quinn said . "The ultimate goal o f an Interior Designer is to create a space that is first and foremost safe and func t ional, as well as aesthetically pleasing. " Quinn was involved in projects whe re she wo rked on a clinic and corporate office , a residential fl oo r o f a fo ur-story building and she also designed a Ronald McDo nald House fOI ' an othe r proj ect. She had inte rnships dealing wi t h In terior Design each year since the summer of 2007 and worked at Beth Davis Inte riors in Sea rcy during the fall 2 0 09 semester. \Vhile at Harding, Quinn was a student m embe r o f the American Society of I nterior Designers, a m embe r o f Alpha Chi and a layout editor for the Petitjean Yearbo ok fo r two years . QUinn tried keeping up with current trade magazin es and AS ID when deSigning , but said her inspiration was much more than that. "I would say most of my d es ign inspiration comes from nature , " Quinn said. "After all, God is the ultimate deSigner, right?" After her graduation in Dece mber, Quinn planned to move back to Atlanta to get married and sh e h o p ed to find a job at a design or architectural firm. Eventually wh en she had a family, she planned on starting her own busin ess so sh e could have a more flexible schedule. "My design work is a direct r e fl ectio n of me , and t hat is why 1 put my best effort into anything I do ," Quinn sa id. " I want people t o look at something I've d eS ign ed and see my values and work ethjc. " Nicole Sullenger/ Penelope Cronk Rocking out with Belles and Beaux, junior Carrie Jones lends her vocals to the Doobie Brothers' "China Grove" Oct. 15. The Belles and Beaux practiced two nights a week to prepare for concerts across the South. Nic k Michae l 162 academics
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