LEAD Class of 2020

Amanda Vigneau, IIDA
Shepley Bulfinch        

Concentration: Higher Education
College/University: Wellesley College & NESAD @ Suffolk University

Q: Why did you choose to become an Interior Designer?
A: I chose to become an Interior Designer because I’ve always been fascinated with how physical space can affect so much of how people feel and live.  I fell in love with the design field during an architectural history class in college.  Later in my time there, I connected with the successful design projects Wellesley was doing that incorporated modern learning into existing historic buildings.  The inside of these iconic buildings needed to reflect what students needed now.  That was where I wanted to be and gratefully, where I currently find myself

Q: What is one piece of advice you wish you could have given yourself when you were just beginning your career?
A: I wish I could have told myself to slow down a little and enjoy the learning more.  It's easy to focus on the goal instead of the process of getting there, but the process is where all the growth happens.

Q: What is the most important skill you have honed over the years?
A: The ability to listen and I’m still working on it.  And not just listen, but actively listen and have it challenge and inform my own thoughts and ideas. 

Q: What do you hope to accomplish as part of the IIDA LEAD program?
A: I hope to give myself the space and time to focus on my own professional development.  I love the group and the extended network this has created for all of us.  I hope to come of out this with validation of some of my strengths but also good understanding of where I need to push myself to do better.