KPU interior design instructor wins national scholarship

Mon, Oct 17, 2016

Metro Vancouver, B.C. - Interior Designers of Canada is pleased to announce Kwantlen Polytechnic University's (KPU) Paola Gavilanez as the recipient of the Robert Ledingham Scholarship, which honours the memory of one of Canada’s most celebrated interior designers, Robert (Bob) Ledingham, and assists Canadian interior designers and educators in their pursuit of higher education.

“I am immensely grateful to IDC for their support of my graduate studies through the Robert Ledingham Scholarship,” says Gavilanez. “The continuous upgrading of skills by means of education is one key avenue by which registered interior designers advance our profession. We maintain currency in knowledge areas in and outside of design that affect our practice and positively impact the users of the spaces we create. I am very excited for the opportunity to utilize my studies and contribute my research to the ever growing interior design profession's body of knowledge.”

Each year, the scholarship awards $2,000 to one or more candidates who have recently been accepted, or who are currently enrolled in their first academic year of graduate school at the master or doctorate level.

Robert Ledingham was a leader in the development of the interior design educational accreditation process in North America. In keeping with the spirit of Bob’s passion for education, funding for his scholarship comes from memorial donations and a matching grant from his estate, donated by Bob’s partner, Robert Lemon.