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Home » News » Interior Architecture and Design Celebrates 2018 O’Brien Scholars

Interior Architecture and Design Celebrates 2018 O’Brien Scholars

Published November 27, 2018
From left to right: Haley Gillett, Melissa Brown, Diane O'Brien, Tim O'Brien, Lisa Waxman, Chair, and Lena McLane, faculty member.

From left to right: Haley Gillett, Melissa Brown, Diane O’Brien, Tim O’Brien, Lisa Waxman, Chair, and Lena McLane, faculty member.

Through the generosity of the O’Brien Family, including FSU interiors MFA graduate Michele O’Brien Rose, sister and FSU alumna Julia, and parents Diane and Tim, the department is able to award scholarship to 4-5 outstanding students each year. The endowed scholarship has provided financial assistance to interior design students for many years and continues to lighten the financial load for students today.

The 2018 O’Brien Scholars included undergraduates Sarah Smith, who is now working with Ewing Cole, a fully integrated design and architectural firm in New York City, and Haley Gillett, who is completing her senior year at FSU. Graduate student scholars featured Abby Eckard, a recent MS graduate who is now practicing design in Washington DC with //3877, a boutique design firm, and Melissa Brown, an MFA student and designer.

Each fall, the O’Brien family and the scholarship award winners share a lunch at the University Center Club. Tim and Diane inspired the recipients to give back to organizations that they care about and to understand how small donations over time can add up to have a big impact. The department thanks the O’Briens for their ongoing generosity!