What are some of the rewarding aspects of your occupation and career?
Siriani: Three things that are greatly rewarding to me in my current position are: guiding clients through the design process, seeing the finished product and collaborating with professionals from a variety of disciplines.
What would you consider as your greatest achievement in this occupation?
Siriani: Seeing clients' faces light up when they look at a proposed design and realize that I have helped to translate their ideas into a feasible plan.
What did you study for your undergraduate degree? Did it inform your choice of Interior Design as a career?
Siriani: My undergraduate degree was in Biology and my first Master's Degree was in Physical Therapy. My science and healthcare background definitely informed my choice of Interior Design as a career. As a pediatric physical therapist, a large part of my day was spent brainstorming ways to help make the built environment more accessible for special needs children. My decision to return to school to pursue a degree in design was not only fueled by the challenges my patients faced everyday but also by the life lessons I've learned from these courageous children and their caregivers.
Why did you choose this career?
Siriani: I find the built environment and the design process interesting. My ultimate goal is to use my background in healthcare to design relevant healthcare spaces that improve the user experience for patients, caregivers and healthcare providers.
Why did you choose Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts and Design over similar programs?
Siriani: I chose to apply to the Westphal College of Media Arts and Design because of Drexel's reputation, the curriculum, the close proximity to public transportation, the diversity, the class size, and Drexel's participation in the Yellow Ribbon Program.
How did your time at Drexel University’s Westphal College of Media Arts and Design prepare you for your career?
Siriani: The courses that I completed at Drexel University prepared me immensely for the real world. The program is very rigorous and demands not only creativity, but also self-discipline, organization and immense attention to detail. Studio taught me practical skills and the process of refining one's work. Team work was stressed as was independent study.