Laila Ward still remembers the feeling of awe that washed over her when she first set foot onto the Tyler Perry Studios campus in Atlanta. 

鈥淚t was so surreal,鈥� said the 精东影业 senior fashion merchandising and apparel design student. 鈥淭here were so many moments during that day and the days after where I stopped and thought, 鈥業鈥檓 really here.’鈥� 

Ward secured a coveted internship with the production company for the 2025 summer semester. Out of 1,900 applicants, she was one of the 14 who were chosen. 

She started as a costume production assistant, coordinating costume logistics and maintenance across the various film sets spread out over the massive campus. 

鈥淲e kept everything organized,鈥� Ward explained. 鈥淲e made sure that merchandise and costumes were properly stored, and made sure that everything ran smoothly.鈥� 

Things have to run smoothly on the studio grounds. The 330-acre campus is situated on the site of the former U.S. military installation Fort McPherson in Atlanta, whose soldiers enforced federal regulations after the Civil War. The property features multiple sets that are constantly in use, whether for a Tyler Perry production or otherwise. 

After a few weeks deep in the studio trenches, Ward and her fellow interns were challenged to go a step further. 

鈥淲e were given a surprise project to make our own short film,鈥� said Ward. 鈥淲e were given a budget, a location on the studio campus, camera equipment and props. We only had one week to film, but we were able to create a 10-minute short film.鈥�

She recalls the late nights her team spent working on their film. They would stay up until 3 a.m., consulting with studio executives about how to create the best version of their work while meeting deadlines. 

鈥淭hey already had their own work to do, but they made themselves available for us,鈥� she explained. 鈥淭he culture at the studios, everyone feels like family. We all want to help each other succeed.鈥� 

The relationships she built with these industry professionals made her realize how similar they all were. 

鈥淚 had no idea I鈥檇 be able to get here,鈥� said Ward. 鈥淭he crazy thing about it is that everyone working here all felt the same. Their journey wasn鈥檛 linear. It was all over the place, just like mine.鈥� 

Her passion for fashion started at an early age. As a child, she was a constant fixture at her grandmother鈥檚 side, learning to sew. Her grandmother always encouraged her to make her own clothes, inspiring dreams of a future as a designer. But as she got older, she fought with her own fears, second-guessing her choices. 

鈥淚 feel like I鈥檝e been mediocre in a lot of things my whole life,鈥� she admitted. 鈥淚 really wasn鈥檛 that athletic. I鈥檓 not a straight-A student. I felt like I wasn鈥檛 really good at anything.  

鈥淎fter high school, I took a gap year and discovered that my natural gift was styling people,鈥� Ward continued. 鈥淚t was so much fun and my friends would always come to me for outfit advice. It felt like I was actually doing something.鈥� 

She had her 鈥榓ha鈥� moment when she found Georgia Southern鈥檚 Bachelor of Science in Fashion Merchandising and Apparel Design. 

 鈥淭he fashion program at 精东影业 is really rewarding,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 can comfortably say it鈥檚 given me the skills I need to succeed in the industry, as well as understanding how important it is to create opportunities for yourself.鈥�  

It was this winding road that brought her to the front door of Tyler Perry Studios, giving her an experience that has helped define her future. 

鈥淚 realized that my superpower wasn鈥檛 just in fashion and clothes,鈥� she explained. 鈥淏ut in pushing people, including myself, to show up as their best selves.鈥�

That鈥檚 what led her to start her own organization, Potential.

鈥淧otential is a collective I started that鈥檚 all about connecting people who want to grow in the creative arts job markets,鈥� she explained. 鈥淚 wanted to create something that helps people realize how special they all are.鈥�

She credits Perry鈥檚 real-life challenges an actor and writer looking for a break as a key influence in strengthening the trust she developed in herself.

鈥淵ou have to believe in yourself, just like he did,鈥� said Ward. 鈥淎nd you have to make sure that you鈥檙e taking the time to grow in your craft, just like he did. Once I started doing that鈥 realized there was genuinely no limit to what I could accomplish.鈥�

As a child, Margaret Riggs鈥� first designs looked like the sketches of most kids: two-dimensional dresses with blocky sleeves, colored in crayon. A far cry from her latest masterpieces, which earned the graduating fashion merchandising student a nomination from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival this year.

Riggs was drawn to the fashion merchandising program at 精东影业 after running out of an audition for a high school play. Acting in 鈥淪hrek the Musical鈥� was not her cup of tea, she decided, but making and mending costumes for her classmates suited her hobby of sewing clothes. One show led to costuming most of the shows at her high school, including 鈥淏ring It On,鈥� for which Riggs received an honorable mention at the .

鈥淚 realized I could just keep doing this; I didn鈥檛 have to stop,鈥� she said, reflecting on her decision to continue the career she started in high school. 鈥淚 love designing, but I also love creating the costumes and going from designs to patterns, to sewing them together, to the finishing touches 鈥� I love the whole process.鈥�

Of all the programs in the state, the Georgia native picked program because it offered an emphasis in design and instruction on operating relevant software. With her education from Georgia Southern, Riggs has been able to master garment construction, patterns, drafting and more while being mentored by her professors and participating in more musical theater shows like 鈥�,鈥� which was nominated for an award at the regional Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival.

Challenging her typical 鈥渘eat and clean鈥� aesthetic, 鈥淧eter and the Starcatcher鈥� called for bold patterns to dress pirates, rough-and-tumble orphans, a colorful nanny and mermaids that looked as though they had been conjured from pieces of the ocean floor. Riggs wove wooden sea creatures into wigs, stretched netting over tails and used bright sequins and stripes to keep the motley crew looking appropriately chaotic.

鈥淕etting out of your comfort zone is where the most creativity is,鈥� she reflected. 鈥淭he show pushed me to think outside of the box and not do things based on my gut reaction, but on how everything incorporates together and what the designs communicate. Being uncomfortable made the designs unique and visually appealing.鈥�

With nothing but a tassel between her and graduation, she is looking forward to the next step in her career: a summer internship as a stitcher in the costume shop at the Tony-award winning Utah Shakespeare Festival. After her internship, she is considering continuing in theater or expanding her skills by exploring different branches of fashion, such as merchandising and film, and earning a master鈥檚 degree. Wherever Riggs鈥� artistic journey takes her, she鈥檚 eager to face the challenges ahead and continue to push herself.

鈥淐ollege has definitely been about learning to take risks and try new things,鈥� she said. 鈥淟ooking back today and seeing all the ways I鈥檝e changed gives me a lot of hope. I鈥檓 not the person I was when I started college, and that鈥檚 a good thing.鈥�

What inspired a 精东影业 interior design professor to move from industry to academe.

passion for design and teaching has found its home at 精东影业, where she began lecturing in 2020. Drawing on her extensive experience in the industry, she encourages her students to appreciate every aspect of their environment through the critical eye of interior design and develop other skills vital to their success as future designers.

Question: What is your background in interior design?

Answer: Since earning my undergraduate education in interior design at Mississippi State University, I鈥檝e worked in commercial interior design, specifically of financial institutions; multi-family housing, such as condo-leasing offices and model apartments; and at a traditional architecture firm doing civic and community projects. In 2010, I decided to research a teaching career because I loved the interior design profession and had recently read a few publications stating that there would be a shortage of faculty in interior design. After obtaining my graduate degree from the University of Nebraska, I taught adjunct computer graphics technology classes at the University of Arkansas-Fort Smith until 2014, when I acquired my first full-time teaching position in interior design. I quickly found that my love was with students and that teaching felt like part of my calling.

In 2020, I learned of a position at 精东影业 in the within the School of Human Ecology. I was impressed with the school, the facilities, the accredited design program and its potential. My family and I have lived in Statesboro ever since and love the community here! My husband works in the Office of Business and Finance on campus and also enjoys assisting athletics via instant replay for many of the University鈥檚 sports, and our oldest son has been a dual enrollment student for two years. Georgia Southern is a special place that we feel grateful to be a part of.

Q: What inspired you to pursue a career in interior design, and why did you decide to transition into teaching?

A: I really feel like teaching is a service. When I was considering pursuing a career in academia, I was at the point in my career where I wanted to give back to the industry, profession and college-age students in a meaningful way. Georgia Southern Interior Design is one of only six programs in the state that is distinguished by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation in Georgia. It has great students, faculty, facilities and departmental support from the School of Human Ecology.

Q: What excites you about interior design?

A: It is never boring. Working in a design firm, even in a traditional office setting, a designer might have five projects going at once: One in the programming/pre-design phase; one in schematic design; one they are drafting construction documents for; and two that are under construction, requiring site visits and questions from the field. 

To add to that, there is something special about walking through a space you had a part in bringing to life.

Q: What are some of the challenges facing interior designers today?

A: Much like the economy of building construction ebbs and flows, project types, such as hospitality, can also ebb and flow with availability. However, the industry remains strong. Health care design is a particular specialization that remains constant, along with private housing. Today, educators are also discovering how to embrace Artificial Intelligence and bring this into the design process at early phases of ideation while keeping in mind that the design profession will always be human-centered.

Q: What excites you about teaching?

A: I enjoy working with young adults in a transitional, yet exciting, stage of life, teaching them specific skills and seeing them grow as people and emerging professionals. Professors have the opportunity to wear many hats: mentor, educator, collaborator and practitioner.

Q: What takeaways do you hope students gain from your classroom?

A: First, I want students to know and feel that they can succeed. I want them to hear and believe that my goal is for them to learn specific objectives, skills and knowledge in each course, and to excel. I focus on creating a positive atmosphere inside of the learning space in which I remain open and objective to each person. 

My teaching method is a blend of practical application with experiential learning. The magical thing about studying the built environment is that it is all around us. Interior designers have a major role in creating space, from classrooms to dorms to restaurants and shopping, to name a few. For this reason, my students and I walk around our building discussing each element, and I encourage them to do this outside of class, as well. Each task and phase of the design process is something they will quite likely encounter as a design practitioner, and I aim to assist with their professional preparedness in the short time that I get to work with them.

Q: How do you challenge students to engage outside of the classroom?

A: I enjoy assisting students in a mentorship capacity as they search for an internship and then an entry-level position. It is a joy to see students prepare their application materials and engage with potential employers, and then share the good news of a first position gained. Some students continue to do freelance work after their internship or at the start of their own business and ask advice on proposal documents and invoicing new clients; as I continue to practice hospitality design in the summer months, I鈥檝e been able to share my approach with students.

Additionally, the Interior Design program and faculty encourage students to join professional organizations, such as the American Society of Interior Designers and the International Interior Design Association, to network and attend events in our region.

Q: Any advice for aspiring interior designers?

A: Students enter into interior design education for a variety of reasons, such as artistic and creative interests, space planning and residential design, commercial interiors with a variety of specializations, or technical details and software abilities. I would advise potential students and aspiring interior designers to lean into those interests. There are many opportunities in the profession. See where your career takes you!