IFDA Education Foundation names 10 scholarship winners for 2026

LEWISVILLE, N.C. — The Educational Foundation (EF) of IFDA, the International Furnishings and Design Assn., has named its design student scholarship winners for 2026.

Over the years, EF has awarded scholarships to high-achieving design students. This year the 10 scholarship winners received a total of $27,500. The judging was conducted by a subset of the Foundation’s board of trustees.

“We are very pleased to present these scholarships to such exceptional students,” said Karen Dzendolet, chairman of the board. “Their shared commitment to improving the world through design is commendable, whether the focus is on sustainability, biophilic design, neurodivergent design, health and well-being or community engagement and giving back.”

Applicants must be currently enrolled, and scholarships are paid to the school for the 2026 fall semester tuition.  The 10 scholarship winners are:

• Sophia Royale won the new Avalon Flooring Scholarship for $2,000. She is an emerging interior design professional with a background in sales and client relations. She graduated from the University of Arizona in 2023 before transitioning into the design industry. Currently working at Amanda Stefanski Interiors in Wayne, Pa., Royale is furthering her education through the Interior Design Certificate Program at Moore College of Art & Design in Philadelphia. C
• Troy Rudolph was awarded the Tony Fusco Scholarship for $6,000, another new scholarship open to New England residents currently enrolled in interior design or related programs at the full-time undergraduate or graduate level. He is currently pursuing a Master of Architecture degree at Boston Architectural College after earning his bachelor’s degree in Urban Studies and Visual Arts from Fordham University in New York City in
• Gabriella Sutherland, a dual-degree student in Interior Design and Psychology, minoring in Cognitive Science, Neuroscience and Environments and Sustainability at Mississippi State University, won the FBN Leaders Commemorative Scholarship for $3,000 open to full-time undergraduate students.
• Chelsea Brown, a third-year interior design student at Indiana University in Bloomington, Ind., was awarded the Part-Time Student Scholarship for $1,500. This upcoming fall semester she will be working as an undergraduate teaching assistant for IU’s Design Methods course.
• The IFDA Student Member Scholarship for $2,000, open to full-time IFDA student members, went to Kirsten Jones, a recent graduate of Endicott College in Beverly, Mass., with a BFA in Interior Architecture. She is going back to school to earn her master’s degree in interior architecture with a focus in education.
• Gianna Palazzolo of the University of Idaho captured the Vercille Voss IFDA Graduate Student Scholarship for $2,000. In graduate school, she hopes to further understand how the built environment can improve quality of life.
• Sophia Hancock, an undergraduate Interior and Furniture design student at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta, walked away with the Ruth Clark Furniture Design Scholarship for $4,000. This scholarship is open to full- or part-time undergraduate or graduate students.
• Marissa Scheid won the Tricia LeVangie Green/Sustainable Design Scholarship for $1,500, open to full- or part-time undergraduate students. She is an interior design student at Palomar College in San Marcos, Calif., pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Building Performance and Environmental Design.
• Open to full- or part-time undergraduate and graduate students with course emphasis on Textile Design, the Barbara Beckmann Textile Design Scholarship for $3,000 was awarded to Nina DiCicco, a Junior Fibers major at the Savannah College of Art and Design with a concentration in Print & Pattern Design, and a minor in Business Management and Entrepreneurship.
• Joshua Paul captured the IFDA Philadelphia Scholarship for $2,500, which this year focuses on Designs and is open to two-, three- or four-year interior design or related program students. He is an undergraduate graphic design student at Anderson University in Anderson, S.C.