Successful Interior Designer Angela Alex grew up in a close-knit family in San Pedro, California, the third child of three. "I knew from a young age that I was destined for a career in the creative world," she says. "I was always very fashion-conscious, keenly aware of interior surroundings and how they made me feel. I even created an art studio in my mom's laundry room where I would pretend to have my successful business!

"It was in an Interior Design class I took in high school where I realized where my passion was," says Angela.  "A very lovely and sophisticated woman came and shared about a place where you could expand on your passion and actually make a living at it." That place was FIDM.

"I was sold," remembers Angela. "My parents, however, were a different story!" Her parents tried to talk her into getting a business degree first before trying design. A career in Interior Design seemed foreign to them, a service only the rich could afford, not a "real job." In their minds, a business degree would always ensure employment. 

Giving in to their wishes, Angela attended a junior college, preparing to transfer to a "traditional" college for a business degree. Meanwhile, she took a few design classes offered at that JC. "I knew then I would never get a business degree--it was design or bust!" says Angela. "My parents gave in and let me apply to FIDM. I was accepted and the rest is history!

"I loved my years at FIDM," remembers Angela, who got her Associates of Arts degree, then stayed on at FIDM for a third year in order to earn her Advanced Study degree. "I was immersed in the creative world. The instructors were all professionals in their respective fields. I loved hearing the tales of life in 'the business.'" Angela became a straight-A student and excelled beyond even her own expectations. "I became active in the student chapter of FIDM's ASID (American Society of Interior Designers). In my third year at FIDM I was elected the president of the chapter and, along with my fellow third-year students, got to participate in the very prestigious Pasadena Showcase House." (The Pasadena Showcase house of Design is the largest house and garden tour in the United States. Each year, a magnificent estate in the Pasadena area is selected for the Showcase. Approximately 50,000 visitors tour the property which is completely renovated by Southern California's leading interior and exterior designers exhibiting the latest concepts in design.)

When Angela graduated from FIDM, she thought she was headed for a career in commercial Interior Design. "Through FIDM's fabulous Career Center, I was sent on several job interviews. I landed a job with a design firm where I began to design office spaces." After one year in commercial design, she realized her heart was in residential Interior Design, and took a design assistant's job with a designer and architect team. "That experience is where I really learned the business aspects of the profession. I also realized that I wanted to have my own firm, so after a year there, I hung out my shingle."

Today, says Angela, she lives and works at what she loves to do. "I found my passion and achieved my dream!" She's able to create beautiful kitchens and bathrooms; design furniture, cabinetry, and fireplaces; and create ambience through the use of lighting. "My years of experience build upon one another and I find myself more passionate than ever to create."

Reflecting on her days studying Interior Design, Angela says, "I learned from my education at FIDM how to communicate my ideas onto paper, how to present those ideas and sell them to a client. I learned how to lay out a space so it is functional and interesting, and most importantly, I left FIDM with a great portfolio and the confidence that I had a superb education. It was that confidence that helped me pursue and achieve my dream!"

"I was always referred to as the 'creative one in the family,'" says Angela. "My family members all were rather academic-minded and my parents really scoffed at my insistence that I wanted to go into Interior Design." But Angela held her ground and came out on top. "I encourage anyone who finds they have that creative spark deep within their soul to investigate what is available to them," she stresses. "A career in which you can create and inspire, a career where you can dream and make those dreams three-dimensional, a career where you can wake up in the morning and be excited about what that day holds in store for you, is a career definitely worth pursuing!" And a career worth having is what this motivated grad has definitely created for herself!

Please Note: The information contained herein was confirmed at the time of original publication