Hailey Connor

Black-and-white portrait of a person in a blazer with shoulder-length hair.

What do you do in your current job?

As a Sr. Interior Designer and Project Manager at MMP Architects, I typically design and manage large scale projects including recreation, memory care, corporate office and healthcare.

What are you doing right not that you are most excited about?

I am working on an addictions centre for women who can bring their children to stay with them during treatment. It is going to help a lot of women and help keep families together.

What is your proudest achievement since graduation?

Working on a project that received a gold MASI award (Bergen Gardens in Winnipeg).

What advice would you give to those who are considering a career in interior design?

I would say that there are a lot of different avenues that interior design can take you, and you have to find the one that suits you. Working in a variety of roles and on a variety of projects can help you find your niche.

What drew you to interior design? What do you love most about it?

The ability to solve problems through design drew me to interior design. I love space planning large and complicated projects/programs. It feels like a puzzle that can be solved in many different ways through a variety of different lenses.

In what ways did you experience at the UM contribute to your success?

I participated in student council and sat on the board as a student member of PIDIM. We also had a work placement as a part of one of our course requirements. Through these networking opportunities I was able to meet other designers and business owners, and easily get a job first as a design student, then as a full-time employee upon graduation.

What was the most valuable lesson you learned at the UM?

I think the research skills, and how I learned to apply them to interior design was one of the most valuable lessons I could have learned. I use this skill in most projects I work on now. I also think that presenting my ideas and projects to my peers and professors helped me with my public speaking and presentation skills today. I regularly chair meetings and present projects and feel extremely comfortable and confident doing so. This all started as an undergrad at U of M.