Hi, my name is Carlee McGuire, and I am a third-year, honors, interior design major here at the University of Arkansas. I am currently interning as a Junior Designer at Casey Sarkin Interior Design here in Fayetteville, Arkansas!
Throughout my life, I have always been interested in design and how it ties into so many different facets of life; it unites fashion, travel, culture, history, and emphasizes the human connection. I decided to become a design student because I am fascinated with these relationships and I want to delve into them for the rest of my life, in and out of my career. Design as an entity lends itself to so much creative exploration, and I am just getting started! In the years to come, I hope to start my own hybrid interior design firm that blends fashion, culture, and travel into its commissions. I have often dreamed of starting a chain of upscale fashion and homewares stores in different cities around the world in which each store design, experience, and inventory is inspired by its location.
In efforts to make these dreams a reality, I am working for a local boutique design firm, Casey Sarkin Interior Design. Applying for internships is a hectic experience, especially in my case because I was doing it when COVID-19 was just starting up. To find places I wanted to apply to, I went to the Fay Jones School Career Fair and I also researched local firms through Instagram; I knew staying local would be easier during a pandemic, so these are the firms I placed most of my focus on. After sending out my resume and portfolio to many places, Casey contacted me back. I had to reach out to her multiple times, but that ended up landing me the internship. Even though I felt like I was being pushy, she appreciated me being persistent and it made her recognize I really wanted the opportunity to work and learn under her guidance.
One of My Design Boards
When it comes to my internship, each day looks different which is great for me because I am not someone who is content with doing the same thing every day. I source materials, fabrics, wallcoverings, furniture, draft floorplans, make presentation boards, keep the office organized, and help in client presentations and meetings. I am also learning our interior-design specific accounting system that is used nation-wide, so this is a great skill to have in my tool belt as I move on after college.
Having this internship has been a great learning opportunity, and I am excited to continue working for Casey throughout this school year. I would encourage anyone wanting job experience to simply reach out to a leader in the industry they admire, just as I did with Casey. Showing initiative and the desire to learn reveals a lot about who you are! I am excited to take what I am learning at work and apply it both in my school work as well as when it comes time to start up my own business.