Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Top University Students Selected for Trip to WithIt Conference
August 15,
2018 by Jane Chero in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry 
Twenty-two students from eleven schools in six different states were awarded an all-expense paid trip to the WithIt annual professional conference held in Charleston, S.C. earlier this summer, thanks to a $20,000 grant from AHFA’s Furniture Foundation.
Students are hand-picked by their university professors who identify them as achievers that can benefit from the high-level learning and networking that takes place. The students come from a variety of majors including interior design, visual merchandising, textile design, furniture design and communications.
The networking among industry professionals and ability to “meet women who were genuinely invested in helping students was a key benefit,” said Addie Gantt, a student from High Point University.
Whether it was a future mentor or employer, Megan Barrett, WithIt’s Scholarship Vice President, said “each student was able to connect with a professional during the conference, which is the ultimate goal.”
The conference content and speakers helped unveil “real world information and trends that helped put context to the hard skills I have learned in the classroom,” said Annina Fremgen, a studend from Kendall College of Art. Students also attended facilitated dinners and participated in discussions about their individual goals and visions.
The 2018 recipients and conference attendees included: Christina Brown, The University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Interior Architecture; Keying Chen, Kendall College of Art and Design, Furniture Design; Elise Crawford, Appalachian State University, Interior Design; Emily Doll, Randolph Community College, Interior Design; Busola Duroshola, Philadelphia University, Textile Design; Annina Fremgen, Kendall College of Art + Design, Furniture Design; Addison Gantt, High Point University, Visual Merchandising Design; Alyssa Gerasimoff, Rhode Island School of Design, Furniture Design; Mary Campbell Gray, Mississippi State University, Interior Design; Madison Greene, Appalachian State University, Industrial Design/Product Design; Jasmine Gutbrod, Rhode Island School of Design, Furniture Design; Lauren Hopper, Meredith College, Interior Design; Kaitlin Huguley, Mississippi State University, Interior Design/Architecture; Yi-En Lee, New York School of Interior Design, Interior Design; Audrey Mangum, Appalachian State University, Interior Design; Darby Mangum, Appalachian State University, Interior Design; Megan Morrow, Randolph Community College, Interior Design; Ashley Odom, High Point University, Interior Design; Marley Rush, Meredith College, Interior Design; Holly Yao, Fashion Institute of Technology, SUNY, Home Products Development.
In 2011 WithIt began their annual program of bringing Rising Leaders to the professional conference. Since then over one hundred students have been impacted by the program. Many have found internships and jobs through connections made at the conference.