Graduation 2019!

On Wednesday 10th July, members of the National Design Academy tutor team alongside proud friends and family gathered in a tent in the gorgeous Trentham Gardens in Staffordshire. This was to celebrate and congratulate the graduating class of 2019. Our students’ incredible achievements continue to make us so proud, and this was a chance to let the graduating students enjoy the benefits of their hard work. The sun was shining, cameras were fully charged and the champagne was flowing!

As all our courses are available to study online, this is the first time many students have not only met their course mates, but their tutor! After countless emails, phone calls and Skype video chats, many tutors could finally put a face to name and thank them for the dedication to their studies.

Foundation Student of the Year 2019, Janet Eccleston

Janet returned to the National Design Academy in 2017, after completing a Level 2 Diploma in Interior Design and a Level 3 Diploma in Professional Interior Design. For the past 10 years, Janet worked on developing her property in France which further fueled her interest in Interior Design.

“Janet’s attention to detail and clean execution always stood out with every submission. Driven and focused from the beginning Janet’s determination was strongly evident within every aspect of her work. Janet’s personal journey whilst studying with the NDA was not an easy one, health issues and some technical difficulties shadowed her progress but never deterred Janet from achieving her goals. The final project is a reflection of how detailed Janet was, regardless of how much juggling she had to manage personally, the quality of work she submitted never suffered. Your resilience and tenacity has brought you to this day, graduation 2019. Congratulations.” – Andreia

Janet’s final project shown an in-depth consideration of all aspect of the brief and the client’s lifestyle. Taking inspiration from the client’s established brand, Janet’s concept looks into the elegant elements of the brand and location, to create a design that is both functional and unique.

Congratulations Janet on this nomination for Student of the Year, it is well deserved! From all of us here at the National Design Academy we wish you all the very best.

BA (Hons) Student of the Year 2019, Nadine Watson

Nadine joined the National Design Academy to study the BA (Hons) Interior Design Top-Up course, having worked within the interior design industry for over 25 years. As an already accomplished designer in the retail, residential and hospitality sectors, Nadine embarked upon the course in order to gain accreditation and certification of her already established skillset.

Living and working out of Dubai, Nadine notes the importance of undertaking a qualification such as this. She says, “I have found that over the years, holding a Degree qualification is required to register my own company. I wanted to acquire this qualification so that it could open many more doors and opportunities for me in the future”.

Nadine’s clarity of design thought and design awareness was clear from the outset, as NDA Senior Tutor, Vicky McClymont explains:

“If there was one word to describe Nadine’s work, it would ultimately be ‘professional’.  Not in a contrived sense at all, but coming from a place out of respect for the industry and a clear sense of how her extensive experience and knowledge have informed her design projects.  One of the refreshing things about Nadine’s approach to the course, is that she isn’t afraid to be challenged.  She hasn’t let her experience get in the way of the desire to progress, of her aspiration to learn new things, but also not to settle with the things she already knows.  From my part as a Tutor, it gives me great satisfaction knowing that someone with the level of experience that Nadine has, isn’t complacent and strives to do the utmost in order to better her skills to best of her ability”.

MA Student of the Year, Amanda Dodds-Hoosen

Amanda has been a devoted student of the NDA, starting her education design career with us back in 2011 when she enrolled on to the Diploma in Professional Interior Design. Keen to develop her design skills and natural ability, Amanda embarked on her higher education studies a year later. Enrolling on to the FdA Heritage Interior Design course, subsequently the BA (Hons) Heritage Interior Design Top-Up course, being awarded a First Class Honours Degree. It is now, with Amanda completing her Post-Graduate studies with a Distinction in MA Interior Design, that she rightfully earns her nomination for ‘MA Interior Design – Student of the Year’.

Senior Tutor, Vicky McClymont, who supported Amanda throughout her FdA and BA (Hons) studies recalls of Amanda’s success at undergraduate level. Vicky notes that, “In the many years I have been tutoring students at Degree level, Amanda made a true impression with her keen sense of investigation, her thorough understanding of the Heritage Interiors landscape but ultimately, the level of confidence she had in herself; she really underestimated just how good she was, and is! I always find that students who don’t always see the true level of their abilities are the best to teach as the outcome of their design work, more often than not, far exceeds anything we, or they expect of themselves.”

Speaking of her continued success on the MA course, Director of Design Studies and Tutor, Anthony Rayworth, notes that “Amanda has consistently produced work of the highest quality, great complexity and which is underpinned by a rigorous academic ethos rarely achieved at Post-Graduate Level. This success was not achieved lightly and included battling serious illness, technical adversity and personal difficulties. It is testament to Amanda’s perseverance and professionalism that the quality of her work is acknowledged by external bodies including the Heritage Departments of her local and regional Councils, The National Trust and English Heritage.

The scale and scope of her MA project was extremely challenging but completed with incisive analysis, original creativity and a high level of real-world technical application. Very well done Amanda and our very best wishes for the future from all at the National Design Academy”.

We spoke to our Students of the Year on their journey, from the initial spark to standing with us in their caps and gowns. Watch this space for these fun and heartwarming interviews from our amazing graduates.

The Graduating Class of 2019:

Peter Booth, MA Interior Design
Haley Bowers, MA Interior Design
Alison Champain, MA Interior Design
Amanda Dodds-Hooson, MA Interior Design
Salma Elgheriani, MA Interior Design
Stephanie Fox, MA Interior Design
Anabia Hamid, MA Interior Design
Nadine Kaafarani, MA Interior Design
Joseph Makdissy, MA Interior Design
Valia Manolis, MA Interior Design
Mirjana Mikulec, MA Interior Design
Nor Syafiqah Noor Azman, MA Interior Design
Lauren Smith, MA Interior Design
Fong Fai Yap, MA Interior Design
Sylwia Zuk, MA Interior Design
Rosa Di Gioia – MA Interior Design

Albina Alieva, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Natalie Cacicedo Porrett, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Varouna Chutoorgoon, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Emily Collier, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Joanna Corley, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Handan Dogan, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Rachel Fowler, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Rebecca Fox, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Layla Hamze, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Jessica Harris, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Samantha Hayward, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Tracey Holmes, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Amy Johnson, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Jacqueline Lavalle, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Hayley Mason, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Lara Richards, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Roshni Savjani, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Sophie Shepherd, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Kim ten Kley-Keeris, BA Honours Degree in Interior Design
Nadine Watson BA, Honours Degree in Interior Design

Denise Cooper, BA (Hons) Heritage Interior Design
Timothy James, BA (Hons) Heritage Interior Design
Jacqueline Kennedy, BA (Hons) Heritage Interior Design
Kristine Strelcune, BA (Hons) Heritage Interior Design
Jennifer Wright, BA (Hons) Heritage Interior Design

Phyo Aung, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Jessica Cready, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Lucia Davies, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Casey Davis, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Amarpreet Dhanoa, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Janet Eccleston, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Fareeda El-Mansub, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Sebastian Gazda, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Mina Georgieva, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Ella Glencross, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Emma Gray, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Simon King, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Giorgia Lacey-Colley, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Anais Lambard, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Toni Nairn, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Sophie Overton, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Areti Papadopoulou Chahidi, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Ashleigh Rawlings, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Iqra Saeed, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Katharina Saurwein, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Keleisha Simpson, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Victoria Smyth, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Eleanor Wheeler, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Stephanie Wightman, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Tara Wilson, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Lauren Wright, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Salina Yasmin, Foundation Degree in Interior Design
Ashleigh Zaman, Foundation Degree in Interior Design

We just want to again congratulate all of the 2019 graduates and wish you well in the future. Remember, we would love to hear from you and share your success as you progress into your Interior Design careers. If you want to share your story, please get in touch by emailing: chelsea.evans@nda.ac.uk.

To find out more about our degree courses, visit our website!