Last month WithIt, an organization devoted to nurturing the academic endeavors of future home and furnishing industries leaders, announced the student recipients of the 2012 Jena & Stephen Hall Scholarship and hosted 20 other Student Scholars at its recent professional conference.

“Receiving this scholarship means that there are people out there recognizing my work and have faith in what I am doing,” said honoree Liz Moore. “This scholarship and the WithIt organization opened my eyes to a place in the furniture industry for women designers and it reassures me about the profession I’ve chosen to go into.”



Kimberly Small and Abbey Reynolds; scholarship winners

Honoree Kimberly Small said of winning the scholarship: “I’ve always considered myself to be a hard-working, talented leader, and after winning the scholarship due to these reasons, it was wonderful to learn that the WithIt committee thought I was as well.”

At the recent conference students pursuing degrees in home furnishings-related careers, including Moore and Small, were able to learn from keynote speakers, engage in timely roundtable discussions and network with fellow attendees.



Group of up and coming design students at the Withit conference

WithIt’s 2012 Student Scholars represented 13 universities or colleges including: Krystin Glass, Abbey Reynolds and Elizabeth Terrell from Appalachian State University; Charlotte Lambert from Auburn University; Kristine Edwards and Erica Lang from High Point University; Moore and Lane Risdon from Kendall College of Art and Design; Rachel Atkinson and Julia Ross from Meredith College; Caroline Cooper and Sarah Gene Kilpatrick from Mississippi University; Sara Englehart and Amber Knight from North Carolina State University; Tina Brumm from Philadelphia University; Elizabeth Warlop from Rhode Island School of Design; Jerri Hobdy from Savannah College of Art & Design; Julia Staley from UNC – Charlotte; Felicia Dean from University of North Carolina at Greensboro; and Small from Winthrop University.

For more information and to support WithIt’s mission, visit their website.