Students Lead the Way: Hear from Nelson Scholarship Awardees

Sep 10, 2024 By Jessica Jones

Autumn Clayton and Lauren Witter share how receiving the John J. Nelson Sr. Legacy Scholarship has impacted their education and personal lives

By Jessica Jones Sep 10, 2024

Published in Articles

(Above Image: Autumn Clayton and Lauren Witter (not pictured) are awarded during NeoCon 2024 at the MART. Photo credit: Elliot Mandel)

There’s no one way to carve a path towards a design career, and each person’s journey is different. Autumn Clayton, a Georgia Institute of Technology graduate, and Lauren Witter, a Howard University graduate—both of whom are now pursuing master’s degrees in architecture—have taken different avenues, but both benefited from the J ohn J. Nelson Sr. Legacy Scholarship Fund. The scholarship was created in 2019 to support African American interior design and architecture students and promote diversity in the design field; each year, up to two recipients are eligible to receive as much as $10,000 each in scholarship funds. The most recent recipients were Clayton and Witter.

Clayton, 21, was born in Japan and moved around often as a military kid, but one constant in her life was an interest in architecture and design. Growing up, she enjoyed looking at houses and even imagined what the floor plans could look like by drawing up her own. By the time she got to high school, she wondered if architecture was a path she wanted to pursue. Luckily, her high school had an architecture program, and from there her fascination grew even more.

Witter, 22, had a different experience that led her to architecture and design. As a young girl, she had a love for the arts—she enjoyed acting, singing, and crafts, and would even make cardboard houses for her dolls. She participated in engineering and STEM programs, initially considering engineering as a career path before realizing it lacked the creative freedom she craved. She wanted a career that would feed her creativity and allow her to contribute to her community.

Autumn Clayton
Georgia Institute of Technology

Lauren Witter
Howard University

We asked Clayton and Witter to share what receiving the Nelson scholarship meant for them and what their educational journey has looked like with IIDA’s support.

Responses have been edited for length and clarity.

What prompted you to apply for the Nelson scholarship?

Lauren Witter (LW): My mom and I were looking at different scholarships that I could apply for, because I have a younger sister who starts college soon, and having two kids in college can be really expensive. This scholarship helped me feel more comfortable finishing my collegiate career in architecture, knowing that I’ll have less debt.

Autumn Clayton (AC): I was very fortunate and blessed to be an RA [resident assistant], which covered some costs. But there were many others—fees, parking, materials, and now, rent. The scholarship helped me feel stable, and focus less on questions like, “where am I going to live?” and “how am I going to afford this?” I could actually focus on what I was studying. It took that financial burden and lessened it, and has allowed me to be a little more at ease about my entire collegiate experience

Clayton has just started her grad program at Georgia Tech, Georgia Institute of Technology.

Photo by Elliot Mandel

Clayton has just started her grad program at Georgia Tech, Georgia Institute of Technology.

Photo by Elliot Mandel

Witter is pursuing her master's in architecture at Howard University in 2025.

Photo by Elliot Mandel

Witter is pursuing her master's in architecture at Howard University in 2025.

Photo by Elliot Mandel

Would you encourage other Black students to apply for this scholarship? What has been its impact on you?

LW: Yes, it helps you reflect on what you want and what your goals are. For me, I was unsure of what I wanted to do when it came to a career path. So, I made a list of what I was interested in, and design was at the top of the list. This scholarship is helping me to continue on this path.

AC: I 100% would! It’s been such a great resource to me. IIDA has been so generous throughout the process and has led me to meeting new people. I met Lauren [Witter], and she’s awesome. I got to visit a city I’ve never been to (Chicago), and met professionals in my area of study I wouldn’t have met otherwise. This scholarship helped alleviate some of the stress from college and personally, it has helped me reflect on my passion for design and decide what I want to do within design.

How has your experience with IIDA changed how you view interior design?

LW: When I was at NeoCon [where IIDA student award recipients were honored], I got to walk around and see all of the different showrooms. It was a nice environment to learn more about interior design planning, which I thought was cool. I really enjoyed being a part of that experience and being a part of this community where you get to know all these talented people. It has been great!

AC: I definitely think IIDA has changed my perspective. I didn’t know too much about the interior design profession outside of what I learned through architecture firms, and IIDA exposed me to new ideas and new connections. Going to NeoCon and seeing so many influential Black women in design was very inspirational. It showed me that there are people who are paving the way.