Wednesday, November 30, 2005
Welcome to RISEN, the Rhodec IIDA Student Exchange Network, IIDA’s very first CyberCentre
A group of motivated students from distance-learning interior design school Rhodec International has come together to found this virtual campus centre. This is a place for us to further our design learning experience, under the International Interior Design Association, through global interaction.
A special thank you must go to Martina MacGreevy and Rick Cejalvo, for providing the technical expertise and hard work in getting this site up and running, and for making it something we can all be proud of. Thank you also to Lise Lindberg Holmse, Sylvie Podloski and Sheree Schold, for their input and enthusiasm throughout this project, and our other founding members. And finally, to Rhodec and IIDA, for their support and belief in our venture.
As CyberCentre Director, I'm really looking forward to working with Lise, Rick and all our IIDA members, to help make this an invaluable and fun resource that we can all participate in and share.
Fiona Worboys - CyberCentre Director
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So, Who Is RISEN?
An innovative group of Rhodec students from around the globe is behind RISEN. They are keen on international design information and are constantly seeking new ways of communicating. If this is how you would describe yourself, then this is the place to be!
Our Founding Members are:
- Rick Cejalvo -- Oregon, USA
- Ann Drayton Derrick -- South Carolina, USA
- Mary Howington -- Louisana, USA
- Lise Lindberg Holmsen -- Copenhagen, Denmark
- Martina MacGreevy -- Brussels, Belgium
- Sylvie Podloski -- Vienna, Austria
- Sheree Ammirata Schold -- Florida, USA
- Fiona Worboys -- Michigan, USA
- Marguerite -- USA
Meet our Founding Board Members:
Fiona Worboys, USA, is the CyberCentre Director and leads the group of three directors. Fiona also ensures that RISEN continues to espouse its Mission.
Originally from the United Kingdom, I followed an economics degree with working in the fashion retail industry in London. Moving to the United States in 2002 (Chicago, followed by Michigan), then gave me the wonderful opportunity to pursue a long-nurtured interest in interior design, by studying within Rhodec International. (I aim to graduate through London Metropolitan University in 2006.)
During this time I've sought to become active in the design community wherever possible, 
including becoming a student member of IIDA, and taking part in many local events. I also served on the IIDA "Student Advisory Committee" for the year 2004-2005.
Additional design experience includes an internship with residential interior design firm "Bay Design" in Ann Arbor, volunteering on community projects with "Habitat for Humanity" in Detroit, and "Supporting the Spirit Foundation" in Chicago, and participating as part of the Rhodec team at Elle Décor's "Dining by Design" event in New York. I have also recently won an industry competition for a project focusing on universal design.
My other interests include writing and photography. My work has been published in various places, including the IIDA student journal "Custom", the "Design Within Reach" newsletter, and the online interior design magazine "Plinth & Chintz". My love of travel provides me with much of my inspiration. I am passionate about design, and look forward to being inspired further here.
Rick Cejalvo, USA, is RISEN's Outreach Director and he is responsible for reaching as many students and industries as possible and educating them on IIDA benefits.
Being in the beauty business for the last 30 years has let me use my creative skills. From this advantage point, the interior design course through Rhodec has allowed me to further these skills.
In the future owning an Interior Design Showroom is one of my main goals. Since being enrolled with Rhodec has allowed me to open a small decorating business, with a few small projects under my belt.
Lise Lindberg Holmsen, DipMgmt(Open), Denmark is the Operational Director and is the Primary Contact for IIDA. She is also responsible for CyberCentre communications with members and with Rhodec.
Lise was born in 1973 and lives in Nivaa, Denmark with her husband, Per Ulrik Holmsen, and their 9 month old son, Alexander. A former IT Project Manager, and currently CEO of Scandic Interiors, Lise started studying with Rhodec in September 2004.
Lise lists architecture, interior design, cooking, photography, playing guitar, among her many interests, but she is passionate about interior design.
After finishing college in 1994, she moved to the UK for 7 years - obtaining a degree with 
the Open University Business School and starting a career as an IT project manager. During her stay in the UK, Lise actively pursued her passion for interior design, both through short courses with ICS (International Correspondence School), and longer term studies with Regent's Academy of Fine Arts in London and working with interior design projects in her spare time. Now, back in her native Denmark, Lise is working on establishing her own interior design practice, alongside a full-time job.
Lise's passion for interior design made her volunteer to establish the RISEN CyberCentre within the IIDA. Lise will hold the post of Operational Director on RISEN's Founders' Board.
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Getting To Know Each Other
Welcome to our new online IIDA Student Chapter!
By joining RISEN you will have at your disposal many opportunities. These opportunities will include so many wonderful things, for example:
- Networking with students from around the globe
- Student Mentoring
- Announcements from IIDA regarding competitions open to all students
- IIDA's Student Newsletter, Custom
- Access to designers and students from other chapters
Through us, you will be able to share information on your country's interior design. We need to share these things in order to understand where we as students stand. You may also show off some of your own work on our blog.
We have a lot of talented students around the world that study with Rhodec and now through RISEN we will be even more united.
Let's hear from the smaller countries. Let us know what your frustrations are and hopefully we can help you through them. Let us hear what projects you are working on. We need to share information in order to understand.
Understanding is the main goal of our cybercentre. We are here for each other; let's use this valuable site to our best advantage.
And that's not all! Every month, we will be focusing on an area of IIDA's website and showing how best to use the information available to us. Next month, we will discuss the IIDA Knowledge Centre, and its relevance to our studies.
To join us, just register in our CyberCentre
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