Taylor Odom, a third-year student in the College of Architecture and Design’s School of Interior Design, has earned a 2016 Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship. Scholarship candidates are evaluated on their analysis and problem-solving skills, design development, graphic presentation, communication skills, and passion.
For her second-place finish, Odom receives a scholarship and an opportunity to intern with Gensler, a billion-dollar global architecture, design, and planning firm with 5,000 employees in fourty-six locations. Odom will intern at Gensler’s Chicago location this summer.
“Working with Gensler, a firm envisioning a better future for the world with innovative solutions, is a great way to be exposed to design on a larger scale and to experience the impact design has on the built environment and end users,” said Odom. “Having the opportunity to intern with the industry’s top talent is rewarding in itself. This opportunity will allow me to elevate my design skills and philosophy as I prepare to enter the profession.”
In a news release from Gensler, Odom’s work was described as “[envisioning] a workplace in which moveable walls and adaptable workspaces provide employees with the type of flexibility contemporary knowledge work demands.”
First place was earned by Chloe Neuvirth, University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
“The next wave of interior designers will enter a complex, dynamic, and increasingly design-centric world that demands more sophistication than ever,” said Robin Klehr Avia, regional managing principal for Gensler’s Northeast and Latin America regions and a 1976 alumna of the college. “The Brinkmann Scholarship allows Gensler to identify and encourage the very best emerging talent and prepare them to meet the challenges of tomorrow. We are very impressed by Chloe and Taylor’s talents and look forward to seeing them grow professionally.”
David Matthews, director of the School of Interior Design, praised Odom and credited Gensler with providing top students with career-building opportunities.
“Taylor is a fantastic student, and we look forward to how she will positively impact the lives of those who interact with her professional work,” he said. “We are also grateful for Gensler’s investments in scholarship opportunities for students like Taylor. Gensler invests in the best and brightest students and is committed to building outstanding educational experiences with programs like the Brinkmann Scholarship.”
In 2015, Erin Collins, now a fourth-year interior design student at UT, placed first in the Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship.
Established in 1999 as a memorial to Donald G. Brinkmann, a gifted interior designer, inspirational leader, and former partner at Gensler, the Gensler Brinkmann Scholarship Fund celebrates Brinkmann’s career-long commitment to nurturing new design talent by presenting outstanding interior design students with scholarship and internship opportunities.
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CONTACT:
Amanda F. Johnson (865-974-6401, amandajohnson@utk.edu)
Tyra Haag (865-974-5460, tyra.haag@tennessee.edu)