Merced High grad places second at national interior design conference

A Merced High School graduate won second place in a national interior design competition and earned more than $25,000 in a scholarship to the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising.

Alyssa Brooks, 18, designed hypothetical living spaces at the Family, Careers and Community Leaders of America convention last month in Washington, D.C. She competed against 70 contestants, the Merced County Office of Education announced in a statement.

Brooks designed two different beach houses and a two-story home. The home was designed for a hypothetical older couple with no children who traveled the world and were ready to settle down in a gated community. The client specified color schemes, the amount of storage and a bathroom. She also planned the itemized cost to decorate the house according to fabric, wood and tile prices, labor and installation costs.

Brooks took Regional Occupation Program courses with Donna Acheson for three years through Merced County Office of Education. Earlier this year, Brooks took first place in interior design at the FHA-HERO State Leadership Conference in Fresno.

Brooks will begin attending FIDM in San Francisco in October. She will focus on learning architectural building codes, structural and design elements of houses and furniture and fabrics. After two years, she hopes to finish her bachelor’s degree at the Art Institute of San Francisco.

This story was originally published August 18, 2015 at 5:45 PM with the headline "Merced High grad places second at national interior design conference."