Before you don a sweater and dive headfirst into fall cozy season, let’s take a moment to look back on the beauty of summer. After all, it’s a spectacular time of year — to travel, to kick back, to spend time outdoors.

At IIDA, we love summer for another reason: It’s the season of Design Your World, a pathway program IIDA created in 2021 to foster equity and diversity in the industry by exposing high school students to the possibilities of a career in design.

This year marked the fifth DYW summer, with immersive, two-week programs held in Chicago, Miami, St. Louis, and Dallas, our newest DYW city, thanks to support from our presenting sponsor OFS, and participating sponsors Corgan, Perkins&Will, Gensler, Jacobs, Stantec, Mannington Commercial, Material Bank, and 3form.

Read on to learn about this year’s DYW highlights — and revisit the splendor of summer, and the year-round power of design.

DYW Dallas

2025 marked the debut of DYW Dallas, held at Corgan’s Dallas Headquarters. Classes were taught by Tamara Rice, an interior design professor at Texas Christian University, along with teaching assistant Drew Collins, a recent design school graduate. Along with learning about design history, key principles, and practical strategies, students also had the opportunity to hear from a variety of experienced and insightful guest speakers, including Corgan President Lindsay Wilson, who warmly welcomed the group and set an inspiring tone and Kaitlin Snow, a design sales manager with OFS, who shared her personal design journey, charting her career path and reminding students that the industry is full of near-endless, exciting career possibilities. Other guests included Material Bank’s Antonio Holguin, who spoke with students about the importance of sustainable design, and a group of design professionals from Mannington Commercial, including Roby Isaac, Spring Marsalis, and Gordon Elkins, who encouraged students to embrace opportunities, lean into their individuality and creativity, and follow their passions.

Speaking of passion, students were deeply engaged in their final project: creating designs to transform a historic 1903 building in Dallas’s Oak Cliff neighborhood into a community-centered space that meets local needs. “It’s been so special to watch them be curious and creative,” Rice said on the last day of the program, when groups of students delivered their thoughtful designs in front of their peers, family, design jurors, and Corgan employees — a feat of both design and public speaking.

DYW Chicago

Five years in, the Chicago DYW program continues to propel students forward in their design journeys. From field trips to presentations, DYW students in Chicago were filled with excitement and inspiration as they learned about design fundamentals. Held at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, this year’s classes were led by two interior designers from Perkins&Will: Chelsea Jackson-Greene, who was also a DYW instructor last year, and Elizabeth Cisneros Tlaxcala.

From color theory to mood boards and material selection, students learned about interior design basics and what goes into the design process. Teaching assistants Ethan Garza and Taylor Smith, both DYW alums who went on to study design, shared insights on how to choose a design school, what the first year of college is like, and career possibilities in the design field.

Guests included interior designer Jill Dexter from Stantec, who stopped by to share her career journey, introduce students to the many market sectors that designers can work in, and highlighted the role of collaboration in design; Adriana Morton, senior digital strategist at OFS, who talked about the importance of students identifying their strengths and honing their skill set; and Samantha Koziol, a materials consultant at 3form, who spoke about her journey from practicing design to working on the sales side. There were also fun field trips — students visited the Chicago Athletic Association and Gensler’s Chicago office, where the team gave students a tour and an inspiring lunch and learn with Erica Fuentes, Gensler’s global inclusion specialist, and Hao Phung, an interior architectural designer.

For their final presentations, students were tasked with reimagining the Delaware Building as a vibrant third space for teens. One student, Satthapi Miller, said she walked away with an understanding of how all the steps fit together to create a final product. “Brainstorming, gathering ideas, building a mood board — every single step matters. Even the ones that may seem not important or fun can ultimately get you where you need to be and make your project even stronger,” she said.

DYW Miami

Returning for a fourth year, DYW Miami was held at Florida International University (FIU) and taught by longtime DYW instructor Kenzie Leon Perry, interior designer and adjunct professor at FIU. Students learned about design basics, and crafted mood boards, elevations, floor plans, 3D models, and more. They received a special visit from FIU’s Interim Chair of the Interior Architecture Department, Nik Nedev, who offered valuable insight and helpful pointers on their design work.

For their final project, students reimagined a space that Perry has been developing in Miami’s Overtown neighborhood. Students had the opportunity to visit the construction site, learn about the rich history of the area, and sketch ideas for how to transform the site into a multifaceted community space. Ahead of final presentations, Maria VanDeman, Ind. IIDA, director of design strategy at OFS, and Jason Pugh, global director of inclusion at Gensler, visited the classroom to offer students thoughtful feedback and help guide them through mock presentations to prepare for the big day.

DYW St. Louis

2025 marks the third year of DYW St. Louis, held at Washington University in St. Louis (WashU). This year, as always, students walked away with design knowledge plus new skills, new experiences, and new friends. Led by longtime DYW instructor Lindsey Buening, interior design instructor at Maryville University of Saint Louis, students took a deep dive into the world of design. During the first week, Buening led a hands-on design exercise centered around accessibility. Students navigated WashU’s campus as differently abled individuals using wheelchairs, crutches, strollers, and blindfolds. Together, they identified the real-world challenges many people face in navigating public spaces, emphasizing the impact of designing with empathy and accessibility in mind.

Guest speakers included Morgan Groth, an interior designer at Jacobs, who gave students an engaging inside look at what a day in the life of an interior designer really looks like, from detailed planning to creative problem-solving, and interior designers Mackenzie McCulloch and Whitney Luerding from Lamar Johnson Collaborative, who led a workshop on space planning and material selection. For their final projects, students were tasked with transforming a vacant school into a community center. Working toward this goal, students were able to feel the power of design in the built environment.

One student, Mya Watson, said she was amazed by how designers turn sketches into reality. “You could draw something on a piece of paper and make it come to life,” she said, “and that’s extraordinary to me.”

Learn more about Design Your World, and encourage design-curious students you know to apply