Chelsey Beardsley chose an indirect path to land at Colorado State University’s Interior Architecture and Design Program in the Department of Design and Merchandising, where she is an outstanding graduate and also named the department’s 2023 Outstanding Senior. 

Originally from Anchorage, Alaska, Beardsley identifies as a non-traditional-aged, first generation, transfer student. She began her first year of college at a prestigious art school in Brooklyn, New York in 2012. Then she worked in the interior design industry for almost four years in Alaska before she decided to come back to school. 

“I had to leave Alaska to get a qualified interior design education, so I did a lot of research on the programs across the county,” she said. 

“CSU has a very notable, CIDA accredited Interior Architecture and Design Program that was of the caliber I was looking for in my degree. Additionally, it is one of only a handful of programs that also let you choose from a variety of minors, but particularly I was attracted to the partnership with the Department of Construction Management,” said Beardsley, who is double minoring in construction management and design thinking. 

“The real-world application is so important in the industry and if I was moving states, I wanted to go where I could get the most out of my experience. The orientation and transfer counselors made me feel immediately welcomed, heard, and valued even before I committed to CSU. In my younger years, the prestigious art school mattered to me more, but in my later 20s, an institution that cared about me and my success mattered more,” Beardsley said. 

Overcoming challenges 

Beardsley did not take the traditional route toward earning her degree and she faced some challenges along the way. 

“In the 13 years I have been seeking my secondary-education I faced a lot of financial challenges. It didn’t matter the GPA, or the work I was doing, I could never get enough scholarships or be in ‘need’ enough to afford college,” she said. Part of her attraction to CSU was the scholarships and immediate support she received even while applying. 

She also struggled with her own mental health in her early 20s.  

“The time off school gave me an opportunity to go through a journey of working on myself, overcoming things in my life, and discovering who I am and how I can make an impact on this world,” Beardsley said. “It was tough being a transfer and non-traditional student, but CSU has their amazing Adult Learner and Veteran’s Services (ALVS) center that helped me integrate into my experience at CSU quickly and with a community of students with similar experiences that made that transition a lot better.” 

Like many students, COVID-19 impacted her journey. 

“COVID was hard,” she said. “I had just moved here and lived alone when everything shut down. I was grateful for the relationships and contacts I made that first semester; I am not sure how my mental health would have done if I hadn’t already had my CSU community built around me.” 

Involvement in the national stage 

Throughout her time at CSU, Beardsley took full advantage of every opportunity that crossed her path, and she will walk across the graduation stage with a vast collection of notable experiences.  

“My biggest commitment at CSU has been with the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) student chapter,” she said. 

Beardsley has worked as the ASID graphics chair, co-president elect, and in 2021, she was elected Student Representative to the Board. She worked to serve and support the three Colorado Student Chapters and has served ASID at the collegiate, state, and national levels. 

“Because of my work at the national level, I was given the chance to speak at last year’s ASID National GATHER Conference in Miami, Florida,” she said. 

Beardsley has also been involved in state legislation governing the interior design industry. 

“My home state of Alaska is actively seeking legislation around their current commercial interior design bill. In both 2021 and 2022 I was able to give testimony in support of this bill, which sparked me getting involved nationally,” Beardsley said. 

She has also been involved with the Rocky Mountain Student Media Corporation and has served on their board of directors since 2020 and has also been the chair of the board since February 2022. As a non-traditional-aged student, she supported fellow students through service to CSU’s Adult Learner and Veteran’s Services center. 

“I have also been the public relations coordinator for the ALVS where I sent out a bi-weekly newsletter to around 2,500 Veterans, non-traditional students, and student parents. I have a profound respect and love for serving and being a voice for this demographic of student,” she said. 

Reflecting on her time at CSU

Nearing graduation, Beardsley has a great deal to be proud of. One of the major accomplishments during her time at CSU was her final academic design project. 

“For my IAD Senior Capstone – a yearlong project full of research, evidence-based design, and execution – I proposed a design to turn a 143,000 square foot Sam’s Club in Anchorage into an Ice Center that focused on battling the effects of Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) in an extreme climate and the benefits of interior design theories on the end user.  It was awesome and a sector of design I hope to do in real life someday,” Beardsley said. 

She also noted her own progression as a student. “Going from a student who was nervous to write essays for class to being a published writer, creator in several regards, and a national speaker is something I am proud of,” she said. “I am grateful for the incredible mentors in my life who see the best version of me and encourage me,” she said. 

“The mentors I have encountered at CSU have been instrumental in my success and blown open incredible opportunities I never even expected I would get to do while in college,” said Beardsley. “I have had mentors in and out of the IAD program who saw my potential, my pure enthusiasm to help people and do good work, and they brought me along with them on amazing experiences.” 

Beardsley is excited about the future after graduation. She secured a job in Fort Collins at a full-service engineering, architecture, and design firm called Clark & Enersen. 

“I will get to work on a variety of commercial projects throughout Colorado and around campus. I plan to stay involved in advocacy, the Colorado ASID board, and to be a resource to other IAD students in Colorado.” 

Though Beardsley is graduating, CSU is fortunate this outstanding graduate will be close by to mentor and inspire future interior design leaders. 

“I’ve had mentors here who put my success toe to toe with theirs and I could not be more grateful. I cannot wait to be a mentor like that to others one day”, she said. 

The Department of Design and Merchandising is part of CSU’s College of Health and Human Sciences.