Interior Architecture Student Receives Prestigious 2025 NEWH National Scholarship

Eyerusalem Hagos, Columbia Interior Architecture student and winner of the 2025 NEWH Scholarship event in New York City. Photo by Erika Swansen, Director of Scholarship and Education for NEWH.Eyerusalem Hagos, Columbia Interior Architecture student and winner of the 2025 NEWH Scholarship event in New York City. Photo by Erika Swansen, Director of Scholarship and Education for NEWH.
From left: Eyerusalem Hagos, Columbia College Chicago Interior Architecture student and NEWH scholarship recipient; Caroline Vinci, MFA student at the New York School of Interior Design; Michaela Simon, sophomore at Moore College of Art and Design; Brittany Spinner, award-winning hospitality and restaurant-based interior designer and NEWH vice president of scholarships; and Lauren Maese, graduate hospitality management student at Cornell University. Photo by Erika Swansen.From left: Eyerusalem Hagos, Columbia College Chicago Interior Architecture student and NEWH scholarship recipient; Caroline Vinci, MFA student at the New York School of Interior Design; Michaela Simon, sophomore at Moore College of Art and Design; Brittany Spinner, award-winning hospitality and restaurant-based interior designer and NEWH vice president of scholarships; and Lauren Maese, graduate hospitality management student at Cornell University. Photo by Erika Swansen.
The 2025 NEWH Scholarship sponsored by Tarkett Hospitality.The 2025 NEWH Scholarship award, sponsored by Tackett Hospitality.
Columbia College Chicago Interior Architecture student Eyerusalem Hagos has received the 2025 NEWH Scholarship sponsored by Tackett Hospitality, a competitive national honor in hospitality design.

Columbia College Chicago Interior Architecture student Eyerusalem “Jerry” Hagos has received the 2025 NEWH Scholarship sponsored by Tackett Hospitality, a competitive $10,000 award recognizing emerging talent in hospitality design. 

Hagos traveled to New York for the scholarship presentation, where she joined industry leaders, designers, and fellow scholars. She describes the event as a moment of feeling “seen, heard, and supported,” and shares that connecting with professionals across hospitality design was “incredibly inspiring.” 

A Competitive, Industry-Recognized Scholarship 

NEWH, Inc. is an international nonprofit known for advancing education and career development in hospitality design and related fields. The organization has awarded millions in scholarships and is widely regarded for its strong professional network. 

The scholarship is open to students pursuing hospitality-focused design degrees. Recipients are selected based on academic achievement, career direction, and design potential, and the award presentation gives students valuable visibility within the field. 

Hagos credits several Columbia faculty members—Rene King, Dave Broz, Lucy A. Trimarco, and Alphonso Peluso—for their recommendation letters, and thanks Rebecca “Becky” Midden for ongoing support. “Their encouragement made a real difference,” she says. 

Interior Architecture at Columbia 

Columbia’s Interior Architecture BFA, housed in the School of Design, is a CIDA-accredited program emphasizing human-centered, sustainable, and functional spatial design. Students engage in material studies, building systems, drafting, digital modeling, and studio-based projects that prepare them for professional practice. 

Chicago’s design ecosystem offers additional opportunities for students to collaborate with firms, explore built environments, and strengthen their portfolios through real-world experiences. 
 
Looking Ahead 

Hagos shares that the scholarship has energized her commitment to the field. “I’m grateful, inspired, and excited to keep growing,” she says. She hopes to pursue work that integrates sustainability, functionality, and user-centered thinking—values central to her design approach. 

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