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Feb 12, 2025 By Jessica Jones
Students to Know: 2024 Winners
IIDA’s 2024 John J. Nelson Sr. Legacy Scholarship recipients Kiaira Coates and Charles Forkwa share their projects and the impact design has had on them.
By Jessica Jones Feb 12, 2025
Published in Articles

Diversifying our design community is important to building a brighter future — and the John J. Nelson Sr. Legacy Scholarship does just that, offering black and brown students the opportunity to continue pursuing their education and contribute meaningfully to the future of interior design. This scholarship provides financial assistance to students to help ease the financial burden of higher education.

This year’s recipients Kiaira Coates and Charles Forkwa represent the future of emerging talent in our industry, and make room for young black and brown voices to be heard in the future. Learn more about each recipient below as they share their stories.

Kiaira Coates
Texas University

Kiaira Coates is a hardworking and talented interior design student with a curiosity for unique design solutions and a passion to communicate other people's needs through design. Growing up she attended a predominantly white elementary school where she felt she had to constantly strive to fit in and look the part, learning over time that the most important thing is to not count yourself out if you’re different. She noted that black women in design’s perspectives have been historically underrepresented, but that their unique experiences mean “we bring invaluable insights, curiosity, and resilience to the table.” Entering her senior year of college, she still has an eagerness to learn new things in design, and hopes for an opportunity to help foster a more diverse and inclusive design community for underrepresented peoples.

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Being able to use design to communicate others peoples feelings and passions helps to fulfill that little girl who didn't know that she could do that.
Kiaira Coates
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Kiaira Coates

Charles Forkwa
University of Minnesota College of Design

Growing up, Forkwa used to watch different shows on HGTV that focused on home renovation. He saw how a designer can positively impact the daily life of a client through the power of design. This sparked a realization that design could be a career where he could have this kind of impact, but on a much larger scale. Currently in his junior year, Forkwa is engaging with his community through various mentorship and volunteering opportunities. He volunteers with the Black Data Processing Associates (BDPA) helping low-income students learn about engineering systems and how the built environment impacts their lives. On campus, he serves as a peer mentor at the University of Minnesota College of Design Interior Design Student Association helping underclassmen navigate the curriculum.

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I saw how interior design and people at these firms were able to do the same things that people on these HGTV shows do but on a grander scale, impacting a wider array of people. It showed me what I could possibly be doing in the future, that I could make people happy and how design can change the trajectory of people’s lives.
Charles Forkwa
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Charles Forkwa
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