Jessica Sanders

Jessica Sanders

Posted on September 18, 2017

I joined the IARc community at UNCG in 2007 after two years of Architecture school, and it was definitely one of the best decisions I ever made. While challenging, the IARc program taught me about collaboration and “thinking outside of the box,” two of the most important skills I learned in my time there.

Since I was a little girl I always knew that I wanted to be an architect, but when I got there something missing…it wasn’t fulfilling my creative need. I wanted to explore lots of different outlets in design and not be tied to just one, and that’s when I made the decision to transfer to IARc. In the IARc program I was able to study all sorts of different creative paths – graphic design, interior design, product design, and sustainability in design. This exposure to different creative realms definitely helped me take on the professional world feeling prepared.

With exposure to all of these different design skill sets I was able to hone in on my passion of furniture and product design which is what lead me to where I am now. I have been working in the Healthcare and Contract furniture market for five years. Daily I get to work alongside and collaborate with some of the biggest and best A&D firms and product designers in the industry and love every minute of it. Every day I still reference the skills that I learned in the IARc program as we all work together to design products and environments to improve the human experience.