About Us
Steven Hawes
My name is Steven Hawes and I grew up in North Myrtle Beach, SC. Since I was a child, architecture and design have always intrigued me. On family trips, I was often exposed to various architectural styles and began analyzing spacial relationships and the interior features that can affect one's experience. My passion and curiosity are what led me here to Winthrop to study Interior Design. I find great satisfaction in understanding the details that make up a design, especially the execution of these details through the construction process. I believe there is so much more than meets the eye with design, and I appreciate the deep thought process that goes into all of the problem solving. Upon graduation, I will be doing what I enjoy most, Corporate Workplace Design, with Gensler & Associates in Charlotte, NC. I am more than excited to graduate and start this new phase in my life.
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Callan Carpenter
I started at Winthrop as a Fine Arts major, hoping to fulfill my love for drawing and painting. I soon realized that a merely creative career would not be completely satisfying to my highly analytical and problem-solving nature. Since changing my major to Interior Design, I can appreciate the balance of using both left and right brain tendencies. I honestly enjoy all stages of the design process, beginning with the initial design conceptualization, the puzzle of space planning, selecting the perfect finishes and materials, and seeing it all come to life with the renderings and construction drawings. My favorite part of interior design is the opportunity it offers to positively impact the end-users of a space through aesthetics and functionality. After graduation in May, I hope to work in Commercial Design while pursuing my love for watercolor painting on the side. My ultimate goal is to be a freelance architectural watercolor artist, but only time will tell where life will lead me.
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Courtney Johnson
My ultimate goal in life was to find something that would allow me to express myself artistically and creatively. It was unexpected, but interior design turned out to be my outlet for both. I started my path to be an interior designer at UNT in Denton, TX. While I was there, I gained more knowledge in Fine Arts and refined my artistic skill. I left my home state when my dad was hired for his dream job in Sumter, SC and had no idea what to expect for my education. Well, I came to SC as a junior and started over as a Freshman. It may seem like a setback, but it was a second opportunity to experience interior design in all aspects I hadn’t before. Once I graduate, I would like to pursue a position within commercial, hospitality, or institutional design. I want to bring all the energy, creativity, and ambition to a company that values great corporate culture and encourages growth. In return, I want to offer my unconventional and surrealistic ideas to help create spaces that are successful beyond practical function.
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Courtney Clift
Growing up, I always thought I would pursue music until the one day I found my artistic talent in drawing class. With a passion for volunteering and helping others, I then wanted to be an anthropologist specializing in the study of cultural arts. However, I soon realized I needed to continue physically expressing my creative side. Volunteering for Habitat for Humanity since the age of 12, going on mission trips in high school, and growing up watching the construction oriented shows on television, I realized I had a passion I never noticed before; Interior Design. I now could never see myself doing anything else. To me, interior design is an art form that combines problem solving skills with creativity to create a new experience for people that enhance their quality of living. My favorite part of interior design is putting together the puzzle pieces that make up a design because it challenges me to think critically and creatively simultaneously. After graduation, I would like to work at a commercial architecture firm hopefully specializing in hospitality and entertainment design. Later on, I hope to have my own non-profit organization of some kind to continue my passion for helping those in need.
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Brooke Rawls
I’m Brooke! Before moving to Rock Hill for school, I lived my entire life in the small, southern, town of Greer, South Carolina. Moving to Rock Hill to pursue a career in Interior Design at Winthrop University was not something I had always anticipated. While I have always been interested in architecture and design, it was never something that I thought I could pursue full time. However, once I learned the opportunities available in the field and realized that I could be successful in pursuing this long term interest of mine, my passion has only grown. After I graduate, I would love to spend a few years in a commercial interior design or architecture firm to gain experience and be qualified to take the NCIDQ and become certified. Eventually my dream is to get into restoring older historic homes and buildings on my own, full time. I find it incredibly inspiring how design can take something and improve it in ways that were never before thought possible.
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Sally Huffman
I'm Sally and I am currently pursuing my passion for design by obtaining my Bachelor's degree in Interior Design. Now in my senior year, I've grown to appreciate design through the amount of detail dedicated to each project. Design allows me to showcase innovation, express creativity, and has the ability to alter one's experience throughout a space. My passion for design stems from the ability to create an experience, memory, or story. As a child, I was fascinated by the wonder involved with creating. The wonder of new experiences, whether that be exploring a kids museum, or the forts I made in my backyard. I found myself always wanting to create new environments or wanting to explore new places. I think as humans we all look for new or better experiences, and as an interior designer, I have the opportunity to shape one's experience for the better and that is what I look forward to daily. The enrichment of life through the betterment of design solutions. After graduation in May, I hope to start a career in Commercial Design where I can apply my creativity and persistence in tackling new challenges.
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Julia Turner
Growing up, I have always had a passion for design and the arts. As a child, I spent much of my time drawing, painting, and creating. In middle school and high school I enrolled in every art class offered. It wasn’t until I ran out of art classes and decided to branch out to a drafting course that I discovered my true passion for architecture and design; there was just something about the technicality and function of it that deeply resonated with me. The fact that I could explore a creative outlet with a purpose, produce something that benefits and shapes people’s lives, that’s what drew me to interior design. With interior design, I am able to understand and appreciate each detail of a project and watch the whole story unfold into a beautiful and user friendly space. I was born and raised in Greenville, South Carolina and plan to return there upon graduation and pursue my goal of working in a commercial architectural firm, where I can further my knowledge and experience.
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Hillary Corteville
In grade school deciding on what you want to do for the rest of your life is something that is pushed on you at a very young age and it can be very daunting. My goal for making this important decision was to be sure that every day I learn something new and to enjoy it. One thing I have learned from my parents is that it is extremely important to find joy in your work. I can honestly say that Interior Design was the right choice. If I could go back to early high school and see myself now about to graduate from Winthrop with a BFA in Interior Design, I wouldn’t have believed it. I was never an artsy student and excelled more with math and science. As I got older I started realizing how much I loved architecture and how spaces were put together and it all started to make sense. Obtaining an Associates in Art from CPCC prior to my Winthrop experience allowed me to explore a creative side that I didn’t know I had. I cannot wait to continue to see where it takes me. Upon graduation, I would love to work for a small commercial architecture firm with a fantastic culture. I cannot wait to begin this new chapter in my life!
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