Woodbury Awarded $75,000 to Support Interior Design Students
Woodbury School of Architecture has been awarded a $75,000 grant from the Angelo Donghia Foundation in support of the school’s Interior Design program. The grant will be split into $25,000 over three years for a Junior Studio program for Interior Design students. The Angelo Donghia Foundation is part of Donghia Inc., a world-renowned name in home furnishings founded by the late American interior designer Angelo Donghia. His vision lives on through the Foundation, which has provided scholarships each year to promising interior design students in the United States.
The Angelo Donghia Foundation’s Senior Student Scholarship Program in Interior Design was launched in 2002. Through this program, the Foundation awards scholarships to deserving students who are entering their senior year in a Baccalaureate Degree Program in Interior Design. Each student winner receives up to a $30,000 US dollars scholarship to be applied to his senior year tuition, board, maintenance and books. This year, due to COVID-19, the Foundation decided to suspend the competition and instead decided to use the funds to underwrite programs that seek to advance interior design education. The Foundation’s Board decided to make the $75,000 contribution in support of a Junior Studio program at Woodbury.
Christoph Korner, Chair of Interior Design at Woodbury, said that, “the continued support of the Angelo Donghia Foundation has grounded student success and opened new pathways for our interior designers. The Foundation has made a lasting impact in the lives of our students, and this year’s $75,000 grant will further support better learning experiences for students by creating a Junior Studio program specifically for interior design. We are grateful to the Foundation for their support to our students as they go on to shape the future of interior design.”
Dean Wahlroos-Ritter echoed Korner’s appreciation, stating that, “Central to Woodbury School of Architecture’s educational philosophy is the fundamental principle that excellence in design and research involves direct interaction with design professionals as a means of focusing on critical and pressing issues of our time. This generous gift from the Donghia Foundation will provide a signature experience for each of our Interior Design students. The studio focus on wellness and on environmental challenges and sustainability will ensure that each of our Interior Design students graduates with skills critical for career success. Congratulations to Chair Christoph Korner and the Interior Design faculty on their continued attention to teaching innovation!”
Last year, Interior Design senior Ryanne Hawkins was selected as a recipient of the 2019 Angelo Donghia Foundation Senior Student Scholarship. Ryanne was the seventh Woodbury student to win a $30,000 Donghia Scholarship over five years. Prior winners include: Christian Esparza (2018), Juan Febres-Cordero (2017), Dominic Luna and Carlos Ramirez (2016), Yumin Zeng (2015), and Kristen Dusold (2014). Since its launch, including the amounts distributed to scholarship winners, the Foundation has awarded in excess of $15,000,000 to education and other causes.
About Angelo Donghia Foundation
Founded in 2001, the Angelo Donghia Foundation is a private foundation based in New York, NY. The Foundation has made such donations as the Angelo Donghia Materials Library and Study Center and the Angelo Donghia Studio for Interior Architecture at the Rhode Island School of Design, as well as smaller donations to organizations for research.
Images courtesy Ryanne Hawkins