Ariel Magidson – Graduating SP2017

Hi! My name is Ariel and this is my last year here at the Academy. This school has brought me really wondrous opportunities and has guided me in all the right directions. I was a lost student when I first came here, I had just previously left University of Arizona with no clue what I was going to pursue, other than “I like art, I think?” I chose the IAD program because I’ve always loved re-arranging my room as well as my friends, whether they liked it or not. I’d even organize my parent’s office, kitchen, and living room in the middle of the night and wake up and say “surprise”! My mom would joke and call me “the cleaning fairy”, but in the back of my mind, I knew it was more than that. Fast forward 15 years, and here I am living my dream. I’m organizing spaces, planning, drawing, and creating. It never stops. I carry my sketch book everywhere. Sometimes I only write a quote, or a glimpse of a conversation I heard, but a majority of the time it holds doodles and quick sketches. It’s nothing special, but it has made me a stronger designer in all aspects. It isn’t about being the best, it is about doing your best.
The past 4 years have been intense. I go to school every semester. Yes, that includes fall semester, winter intersession, spring semester, summer intersession and summer semester, every year for the past 4 years! I can’t get enough! I recently finished an internship with Bernhardt Design in their commercial San Francisco show room. I had applied using the AAU Job board, if you can, use this! There is so much information and jobs out there waiting for us to get our hands on! I met so many designers, sales reps, and others working in the Interior/architecture design industry. I’ve attended a few IIDA events, and have collected a huge stack of business cards; I even have my own now. Earlier this year I made it in the top 10 commercial designs for Sherwin Williams. I also was chosen 1st runner up winner for a design contest working with the famous designer Roger Thomas in Las Vegas. I most recently got a job at One Workplace San Francisco (via the AAU Job Board). I’m working 4 days a week right beside amazing designers. Just a few months ago, I was dreading the thought of graduation. Then I got a job in the industry I’ve been learning about for 3 years, and I couldn’t be any more excited. So many opportunities have come my way because I’ve worked extremely hard to get here as well as through the amazing support of the teachers and staff here at the Academy. I have learned success won’t just fall out of thin air, you must push yourself. Be a sponge and absorb all the information around you, it’s there for a reason! I’m currently studying to get my LEED AP, working, and finishing up my last two semesters, then off to the real world! I can’t wait to see what all of us do after graduation.