Students get hands-on experience

The students wound up doing design work in five of the eight houses.
By HAROLD GWIN
VINDICATOR EDUCATION WRITER
POLAND -- A group of students in Youngstown State University's interiors merchandising program was supposed to do the interior design for just one house in the 2006 Parade of Homes going on this week.
It was the first time that YSU students were selected to design a house for a housing showcase put on by the Home Builders/Remodelers Association of Mahoning Valley.
This year's Parade of Homes features eight houses on Catarina Place and runs through Sunday.
The students, Jennifer Cvengros of Champion, Frank Daloise of Canfield, Rachel Maine of Austintown, Jessica McCoy of Warren, Jessica Paris of Cortland and Stephanie Volpini of Poland, did interior design on a house built by Fonderlin Construction. They selected the overall color scheme for the home, including flooring, cabinets, countertops and lighting. They also designed window treatments and wall treatments and selected furnishings and accessories.
Impressed
The builders were so impressed with their work that they got an invitation to help with the installation of furnishings, window treatments and accessories in three other homes in the Parade built by .PMD Construction, Sudon Brothers, and Knez Construction by Bobby Sudon.
They weren't done there, said Dr. Virginia Draa, assistant professor of human ecology and the coordinator of the interiors program.
When one designer failed to show up for one of the houses, the students volunteered to do the design for that house as well, using materials left over from their earlier jobs and materials they brought from home or borrowed from friends, Draa said.
They worked most of the night Friday and again Saturday morning, finishing just before the parade opened at noon Saturday, she said.
It was a great experience for them, working with builders on real houses, Draa said.
"This experience gave YSU students in interiors a great introduction to the professional world and to showcase their talents and skills," she said.
YSU has already been asked to do the interior design on two houses in next year's Parade of Homes, Draa said, adding that the university will offer a specific course tied to the program next year so students can earn credit as they work on the house design.
The homes are open from 5 to 9 p.m. today through Friday, noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and noon to 7 p.m. Sunday.
gwin@vindy.com