Senior Emily Preisendanz wins national design honor
Emily Preisendanz, a Virginia Tech senior in the Department of Apparel, Housing, and Resource Management , has been recognized as a top design student by the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA).
Preisendanz, from Vestal, New York, is one of 27 students honored for academic success, internship, work, and volunteer contributions to the kitchen and bath industry. Each will receive a $200 scholarship.
Preisendanz, who graduates this week, begins her career as a kitchen designer at Mid South Building Supply in June. As an undergraduate, she was a representative to the AHRM Student Leadership Council and recipient of the AHRM Housing Study Tour Travel Award to attend Design and Construction Week in Las Vegas, Nevada, in January.
She completed three internships during her academic career, in which she had majored in residential environments and design, and minored in marketing. She has been a volunteer and leader since 2013 with the Virginia Tech Nicaraguan Orphan Fund.
With classmates and fellow residential environments and design majors Samantha Ravn, from Winchester, Virginia, and Zoë Dahl, from Gainesville, Florida, Preisendanz is a finalist in the 2015 NKBA/General Electric Charette Design Competition. National winners will be announced later this year.
Founded in 1963, NKBA is a trade group that promotes professionalism in the kitchen and bath industry. It has more than 60,000 members, including designers, distributors, retailers, remodelers, and manufacturers.
