Students Learn About All Aspects of Interior and Product Design Thanks to the Student Interior Design Organization
Rebecca Hermance, faculty advisor for the CBT’s Student Interior Design Organization (SIDO), knows how to get the school year off to a great start. She explains how she begins “every fall with an ice cream social sponsored by SIDO and the Interior and Product Design faculty.” Everyone is invited to join in the fun as they eat ice cream, play yard games, and get to know each other outside the classroom.
Membership in SIDO is specific to the University of Nebraska at Kearney, but Hermance explains that they “also have a campus chapter of IIDA (International Interior Design Association) that students can join.” While the IIDA sponsors an event each semester for students, Hermance makes sure there are plenty of opportunities for students throughout the school year as members of the SIDO.
Hermance understands that students will eventually become professionals in their chosen field, so she makes sure to create meaningful connections with professionals and product representatives, many of whom she has already brought into her classroom to speak to her students. She explains how, as part of the SIDO meetings, it’s not uncommon to have Zoom calls from people in other parts of the country included. She does this to make sure students are given a variety of perspectives. As she shares, “the awesome thing about Interior and Product Design is that there are so many different career opportunities for students.” Her goal is to demonstrate this fact through the many professionals she invites to the SIDO meetings. These professionals not only share their own professional journeys but also highlight the work being done in their firms.
In addition to membership in the Student Interior Design Organization and the International Interior Design Association, CBT students can join the American Society for Interior Designers (ASID) as student members. Hermance states that she uses the SIDO “as the umbrella” for both the IIDA and ASID because “both organizations promote networking and career opportunities as well as additional learning and leadership opportunities.”
Being involved in the SIDO means hearing from a guest speaker at almost every meeting where students learn about a specific area of design or hear about internship opportunities. Hermance explains how field trips where students visit local businesses, projects, or showrooms are also a part of student involvement in this exciting organization. Giving students this type of real-world exposure adds another layer of understanding to what they are being taught in the classroom.
Community involvement is another way Hermance creates unique opportunities for her students. She makes plans to spend at least one Saturday a year working on the building process with Habitat for Humanity. This enjoyable volunteer opportunity not only benefits the Kearney community but reinforces the benefits of working together as a team.
For students involved in the Student Interior Design Organization, there are plenty of fun activities planned as well. At least once a semester, they have a craft or movie night instead of a guest speaker. Past activities have included pumpkin painting, cookie decorating, a gingerbread house competition, and egg dyeing. Hermance explains that she does this in order to carve out time for “students to get together and get to know each other better.” Their annual Friendsgiving, a potluck that is well-attended, as well as special nights like Rom-Com Study Night are activities SIDO students look forward to throughout the school year.
Interior and Product Design students can look at the LoperLinks site to find out more about the SIDO. This organization typically meets on Tuesdays at 5:30 in Discovery Hall, Room 223. All meetings and other SIDO activities are announced on the Instagram page (@UNK_SIDO). Posters are also on display and meeting times are announced in most Interior and Product Design classrooms.
Rebecca Hermance believes involvement in the Student Interior Design Organization will help students get to know their peers better, make great community connections, and learn about all aspects of Interior and Product Design. Students will have fun while learning more about what they want to do in the future.
