Senior Kelsey Hyser is mentoring at Classic Kitchen, a kitchen remodeling company, located on Deyerle Avenue.

            “I chose to mentor at Classic Kitchen because I want to be an interior designer. I’ve always been interested in designing, and I chose to start with kitchens because it’s the easiest way to get experience,” Hyser said.

            To further continue her education in interior design, Hyser is planning to attend Radford University next year.

            “[Radford] has a good interior design program. By mentoring at Classic Kitchen, I will be able to get firsthand experience before I actually start taking classes next year at Radford. Also, because I am going to learn all the different techniques before I start college, I will have a better understanding of what I am going to learn in my classes, and I will have a head start on designing, unlike my peers,” Hyser said.            

Sherri Chapman, the program’s coordinator, has only positive things to say about Hyser.

            “Kelsey is a very responsible student and handles herself in a professional manner in business situations. She is bright and mature and has a good working relationship with others.”

            Hyser is in the second semester mentorship class, so she is just beginning the actual procedure of tagging along with her mentor.

            “The first day was really good. I got to help one of the designers with backsplash tiling and I am working on drawing a new kitchen plan to scale complete with all the different types of cabinets, countertops, and appliances,” Hyser said. After Hyser finishes the scale drawing, she is going to input it into the blueprint program on the computer to produce a 3-D scale.

            Hyser hopes to gain experience through the mentorship course.

“I want to see what [interior designing] is all about,” Hyser said.