{"id":251102,"date":"2025-02-26T11:51:16","date_gmt":"2025-02-26T16:51:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/?post_type=id_news&p=251102"},"modified":"2025-02-26T14:36:23","modified_gmt":"2025-02-26T19:36:23","slug":"benjamin-moore-bidinc-howard-university-scholarship-award","status":"publish","type":"id_news","link":"https:\/\/interiordesign.net\/designwire\/benjamin-moore-bidinc-howard-university-scholarship-award\/","title":{"rendered":"Benjamin Moore Honors Rising Designer With New Scholarship"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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February 26, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n

Words: <\/span>Interior Design Staff<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Benjamin Moore Honors Rising Designer With New Scholarship<\/h1>\n\n\n
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Legacy paint brand Benjamin Moore<\/a> teamed up with the Black Interior Designers Network (BIDInc) and Howard University to honor a rising designer with a prestigious, new scholarship. Kayla Chambers, a second-year student at Howard University, was awarded the Howard University Chadwick A. Boseman College of Fine Arts Kimberly Elaine Ward Scholarship, earning $30,000 to support tuition fees and educational expenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSelecting the first Kimberly Elaine Ward Scholarship recipient was not easy for the committee,” shares said Rachel Willard-Chang, senior manager, DE&I and social impact at Benjamin Moore. “Kayla Chambers embodies the characteristics the founder of BID Inc., Kimberly Elaine Ward, continuously demonstrated in her work and in the community.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chambers, who was chosen based on the strength of her submission, already is hard at work cultivating her distinct design aesthetic, shares Willard-Chang, noting the honoree’s “passion for infusing life into spaces that give back to underserved communities.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis collaboration marks a pivotal moment for our organization and the students we aim to support,\u201d adds Keia McSwain, president of BIDInc<\/a>. \u201cAt the heart of this initiative is our commitment to empowering young African American students, like Kayla, to excel in the field of interior design, a path that has not been readily accessible or encouraged. Through this scholarship, we are setting the stage for aspiring designers to receive the necessary support, upliftment, and resources to thrive.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Kayla Chambers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

Further stressing the impact of this award, Raimi Gbadamosi, chair of the Department of Art at Howard University, notes: \u201cA scholarship is more than immediate financial relief, it is an investment of lifelong impact that sets up yet unimaginable opportunities.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pursuing a degree in interior design with a minor in business administration, Chambers plans to open her own interior design firm and jumpstart a non-profit organization to bring design to underserved communities. \u201cI am grateful for the opportunity to change, thrive, create and grow,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The next round of scholarship applications will open to Howard University students in August, 2025, so stay tuned for more details. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n