For the past seven years, PAVE has had the privilege of partnering with renowned design collaborative Bergmeyer to support college-level Interior Design, Architecture, and Graphic Design students through a $1,500 scholarship as well as an opportunity to take part in an immersive mentorship experience with some of the industry's top designers at Bergmeyer in Boston, MA.
“In collaboration with PAVE, Bergmeyer would like to congratulate Morgan James from California State University, Long Beach as the recipient of the 2022 Bergmeyer Scholarship and Mentorship Experience. We extend our appreciation to all of the talented design students from colleges and universities across the United States who submitted applications to the seventh annual Bergmeyer Scholarship with PAVE. Bergmeyer would like to recognize Morgan in particular for thoughtfully integrating interior design and highly graphic brand identity in an approach to creating environments that are rooted in solving for specific consumer needs and behaviors.” said Rachel Zsembery, President, Bergmeyer.
Applicants were asked to provide a written response to 2 questions- "1. What brands or experiences do you gravitate to, and why? With consideration towards the physical and digital dimension of the engagement", and "2. What brands and experiences do you think are ripe for reinvention? Why? What would you do to improve them?" Students were also asked to provide a project folio highlighting their retail, restaurant, or hospitality-related projects. The quality and talent of the applications were extremely impressive, and the team found the final decision to be challenging as many standout entries showcased different design skills.
In an excerpt from her letter of recommendation, Eduardo Perez, Program Coordinator & Professor of Interior Design, Department of Design at California State University, Long Beach had this to say, "Ms. James positively impacts our school through her outstanding leadership, her collegial spirit with her classmates, her methodical nature within our demanding program, and most important in my opinion, her outstanding caring and professional character."
In the spirit of connecting students to the industry, this year Bergmeyer has graciously opened their doors and extended an invitation to all of the applicants to reach out if they are ever in the Boston or Los Angeles areas for a hosted tour of the Bergmeyer studios to see how they work, meet some of the design team, and to get to know each other.
The PAVE Scholarship Program, now in its twelfth year, provides financial assistance to students in educational programs preparing them for careers in the retail environments industry, including but not limited to careers in retail design, visual merchandising, interior design, architecture, product design, UX design, graphic design, and industrial design. PAVE was developed to help ensure a future talent pool for the industry by eliminating barriers to studying in these fields. The funds assist students who are experiencing financial difficulties that may prevent them from continuing school. PAVE has awarded students $234,500 in financial grants and scholarships in the past three years.
About Bergmeyer, www.bergmeyer.com
Creative. Connected. Curious. Bergmeyer is a Design Collaborative; inspired through partnership, thoughtfully creative, inherently curious, and driven to fulfill their clients’ needs. They design for their clients’ clients, the people whose lives and experiences are enhanced by their work, by focusing on understanding the end-user while delivering on each clients’ vision and return on investment.
Services include Architecture, Interior Design, Branding, Graphic Design, Strategy. Visual Merchandising, ProgramManagement, Sustainability Consulting, Placemaking, and Event Design + Activation. Markets include Retail, Restaurant, Workplace, Commercial, Multi-Family Residential, Academic, Cultural, Hospitality, Healthcare, and Pop-Up + Temporary Experiences.
About PAVE, www.paveglobal.org
Founded in 1992, the Planning and Visual Education Partnership's (PAVE) objective is to encourage students to study in the field of retail design and planning and visual merchandising. Additionally, PAVE seeks to encourage retail management, store planners, visual merchandisers, architects, and manufacturers to interact with and support design, students. These objectives are accomplished through competitions, projects, seminars, workshops, and grants and scholarships funded by the annual Gala and other fundraising activities. PAVE is a 501(c)(3) educational foundation.