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IFDA Educational Foundation Announces Design Student Scholarship Winners for 2025

July 6, 2025  by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Industry   

“We are very pleased to present the scholarships to these exceptional students,” said Karen Dzendolet, Chairman of the Board of the Educational Foundation of IFDA.  “Whether creating intentional and responsive environments, appreciating nature and cross-cultural perspectives or revering and exploring  furniture craftsmanship  and surface design, all the winners share a commendable passion for how the world can be bettered through interior design.”

Earline Feldman, FIFDA, director of scholarships & grants, echoed the sentiment. “True to our mission, we awarded nine scholarships to the most deserving students. The judges were challenged to select the winners as there were applications from all over the U.S.”

Applicants must be currently enrolled, and scholarships are paid to the school for the 2025 fall semester tuition.  The nine scholarship winners are as follows:

Nathan Kindell of the University of Idaho in Moscow, Idaho, studying Interior Design and Architecture won the FBN Leaders Commemorative Scholarship for $3,000 open to full-time undergraduate students.  He grew up in Cambridge, Idaho, a small town that instilled in him the values of community, purpose and authenticity.  Said Kindell, “I approach design as a way to influence how people feel, move and connect within space.  My philosophy centers on creating environments that are intentional, responsive and rooted in meaningful storytelling.  I am inspired by everyday experiences and the potential of design to quietly shape better lives.  I am honored to be recognized and grateful for the opportunity to contribute to the design community.”

Candice Thomas of the New York School of Interior Design in New York City was awarded the Part-Time Student Scholarship for $1,500.  She is a part-time interior design student at the school, pursuing a second career after her time in the entertainment industry. 

The IFDA Student Member Scholarship for $2.000, open to full-time undergraduate IFDA student members, went to Michaela Simon, a junior at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia studying interior design and business.  She is also a Visionary Honors Student in Moore’s Honors Program leadership track.  While at Moore, she worked as a writing assistant and note-taker for her peers and is excited to be a student ambassador in the fall.  “I am proud to earn a 4.0 GPA and make the Dean’s List each semester. I have always been interested in interior design, but it has become my passion through my education,” said Michaela.

Allegra Codamon,  currently pursuing her MFA in Interior Environment at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., captured the Vercille Voss IFDA Graduate Student Scholarship for $2,000.  Her former roles as an agroforestry Peace Corps Volunteer and a Geospatial Systems Specialist for the USDA Forest Service developed her appreciation for the natural environment and cross-cultural perspectives.  Through her studio projects – such as an aging-in-place apartment unit and a speakeasy-style restaurant and bar – she enjoys exploring unique arrival experiences and lighting interventions.  Outside of the design studio, she spends her time flameworking glass, paddleboarding and trying new recipes.  This summer, she is the Interior Design Intern at 3North in Richmond.

Tommy Blevins of Vermont Woodworking School and Vermont State University walked away with the Ruth Clark Furniture Design Scholarship for $4,000.  This scholarship is open to full- or part-time undergraduate or graduate students.  A woodworker since the age of 14, Tommy has a home shop where he uses hand tools from the early 19^th-century and power tools from the modern era to create one-of-a-kind pieces.  “My aspiration is to be a fine furniture maker…I have great respect for the generations of craftsmen that came before me, and it is my mission to carry on the art of fine craftsmanship,“ he said.

Diego Fernando Ortiz Cortes, originally from Colombia, a sophomore studying Interior Design at the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City, with a minor in Color Studies, won the Tricia LeVangie Green/Sustainable Design Scholarship for $1500.  It is open to full- or part-time undergraduate students.  With a background in the arts, Diego brings a creative and thoughtful perspective to every project.  His design philosophy focuses on crafting meaningful, sustainable spaces that reflect global awareness and cultural sensitivity.  Inspired by his heritage and a deep commitment to responsible design, he aims to create places that are both visually compelling and environmentally conscious.

Open to full- or part-time undergraduate and graduate students with course emphasis on Textile Design, the Barbara Beckmann Textile Design Scholarship for $3,000 was awarded to Scott Grove, who is currently earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Fibers at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD) in Savannah, Ga., class of 2026.  Growing up around the East Coast, from the waters of Florida to the forests of Maine, nature has always been his biggest inspiration.  He is focusing his education on surface design, weaving and textile manipulation for home textile design, and is highly interested in working in carpet, upholstery fabric or wallpaper.  He is extremely grateful to be spending his 2025 summer interning for Wesley Mancini, LTD in Charlotte, N.C., and learning the ins and outs of jacquard-woven upholstery fabric.

Rebecca Grace Porterfield captured the IFDA Philadelphia Scholarship for $2,500, which this year focuses on Textiles and is open to  two-, three- or four-year interior design or related program students.  Rebecca graduated in May 2025 with a B.S. in Textile Design from NC State University’s Wilson College of Textiles in Raleigh, N.C.  She will be returning in Fall 2025 to pursue her M.S. in Textiles.  She said, “I’m passionate about woven textile products, especially upholstery, and I hope to contribute fresh, innovative ideas to the textile industry.  I’m inspired by the blend of creativity and functionality in design, and I’m committed to developing thoughtful, sustainable textile solutions that make a lasting impact.”

The Window Fashion Certified Professionals Fast Track Scholarship for $1,000 value was awarded to Mary Beth Dicen, a rising sophomore at High Point University in High Point, N.C.  She is studying Interior Design and has just recently been accepted into the program.  “I truly have a passion for the field of design and am extremely grateful for this opportunity to grow and develop in my field of study,” advised Dicen.