MSU students to receive furniture-industry scholarships

Contact: Leah Barbour

American Home Furnishings Alliance is awarding scholarships to two interior design majors studying at Mississippi State University. Junior Daniella R. Bower, center left, and sophomore Haley Austin, center right, will each receive $16,750. Congratulating them are directors Bill Martin, MSU Franklin Furniture Institute, and Beth Miller, MSU interior design.
American Home Furnishings Alliance is awarding scholarships to two interior design majors studying at Mississippi State University. Junior Daniella R. Bower, center left, and sophomore Haley Austin, center right, will each receive $16,750. Congratulating them are directors Bill Martin, MSU Franklin Furniture Institute, and Beth Miller, MSU interior design.
Photo by: Russ Houston

STARKVILLE, Miss.--Two interior design majors enrolled in Mississippi State University's College of Architecture, Art and Design are receiving scholarships from the world's largest, most influential trade organization in home furnishings.

American Home Furnishings Alliance, based in North Carolina, is awarding $16,750 each to sophomore Haley Austin, the daughter of Judy B. Austin of Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and junior Daniella R. Bower, the daughter of Bobby and Kay Bower of Nassau, Bahamas.

The scholarships specifically target students planning careers in the furniture and home-furnishings industries and are majoring in business, interior design, industrial design or wood-products manufacturing programs.

MSU's Franklin Furniture Institute, directed by Bill Martin, selects recipients based on their commitment to the furnishing industry, as well as GPA and class standing. At MSU, eligible students must be pursuing furniture and home furnishings-related degrees in the Bagley College of Engineering or the colleges of Architecture, Art and Design; Business; Education; or Forest Resources.

"Given the importance of Mississippi's furniture-manufacturing sector, it is important to develop future leaders in one of the state's largest employers," Martin said.

Interior design director Beth Miller congratulated Austin and Bower.

"We are always excited for our students who receive the scholarships and look forward to their continued success," she added. "Also, I want to thank Bill Martin for making this scholarship opportunity available to interior design students."

To learn more about MSU's Franklin Institute, visit www.ffi.msstate.edu, or discover more about MSU's interior design program at www.caad.msstate.edu/id/home.php.

MSU is Mississippi's flagship research university, available online at www.msstate.edu, facebook.com/msstate, instagram.com/msstate and twitter.com/msstate.