Meet AIU Students and Alumni
Meet Kimber Commodore
B.F.A. in Interior Design
Getting It Just Right
Kimber Commodore always had a passion for creating new things. When it came time for her to pick a career, interior design seemed perfect.if only she could find the right classes.
"I tried a few junior colleges, but they didn't prove to be the caliber of education I wanted. I would have learned stuff, but in my opinion it was the same stuff I felt I could have learned sitting at home on a Saturday morning watching Home & Garden TV. It was more interior decorating than interior design."
Then Kimber met an AIU Los Angeles professor while in a work rehabilitation program (she suffered a serious spine injury at her retail job) and came to check out the campus. "I'm the kind of person who will ask hundreds of questions. I came to the campus with a list of all the things I needed and, by the time I finished asking, 95 percent of the stuff I needed was checked off."
Kimber enrolled in January 2004 and will graduate with her Bachelor's degree in Interior Design at the end of 2006. "This is the first time I've really been challenged in my classes. I always got good grades, but never felt like I was learning anything. Last term I was actually overwhelmed...in a very good way. I learned so much. I loved it. It totally fits me."
When asked about her favorite class so far, Kimber says it was the one last term that "totally kicked my butt." "The professor pushed me so hard, and I was very, very grateful for it. I ended up learning not only about Fundamental Drawing, but also about my own character."
While Kimber is fortunate enough to be able to focus solely on school and not have to work, she has made it a priority to get an internship in interior design this term. She plans on specializing in interior design for the developmentally disabled and elderly upon graduation, but Kimber says it might be difficult to get an internship in that field. "I'm just interested in getting more hands-on experience in interior design in general. Because I already know the aspect of interior design that interests me the most, I'm can focus on that in my classes and get a solid base in it. I'm sure design experience combined with my education will let me do what I want to."
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