Centralight

I am Central: Autumn Nethercott Senior Interior design major What she did: Traveled to Beijing with her interior design class to work with Chinese architecture students to design an intergenerational facility. They made recommendations for expanding an existing nursing home into a facility to accommodate children for daycare and preschool. Before the trip: Autumn studied Chinese culture (including the preference for south-facing bedroom windows), learned about Feng Shui and brushed up on ADA guidelines. Her challenge: Working within the metric system. Bonus: Forging friendships with the students in China. "We've stayed in touch. We're all Facebook friends." Why she likes interior design: "It's always been really important to me to help people. And with design, I can incorporate a little piece of me into projects." What people don't realize: "Interior design is so much more than picking pillows and color swatches. It can aff ect people's psychological well-being. There's a lot that goes into it – codes, safety and environmental psychology." Buyer beware: "In Michigan, you don't have to be licensed to call yourself an interior designer. So this causes a lot of misconception about the design profession." On campus: She's vice president of the Circle K service organization, the collegiate version of Kiwanis. The group tackles all kinds of projects, from volunteering for Habitat for Humanity and visiting nursing homes to working soup kitchens and blood drives. Fun fact: At 85 members, CMU's Circle K group is the third largest Circle K in the world. • 40 centralight spring '10

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