UCO Interior Design Students Earn National Recognition
May 7, 2025
Joselin Trejo and Keeleigh Johnson, seniors in the University of Central Oklahoma’s interior design program, have earned national recognition for their work, highlighting the program’s ongoing commitment to excellence, innovation and industry relevance.
Trejo, an interior design major from Edmond, Oklahoma, was named a semifinalist in the 2025 American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) Student Portfolio Competition, sponsored by Benjamin Moore. The annual competition is one of the most prestigious student contests in the country, recognizing creativity, conceptual development and execution. Trejo’s portfolio was selected from among hundreds of submissions nationwide.
“Making it to the semifinals of this national competition is an exceptional accomplishment and a testament to Joselin’s vision, talent and work ethic,” said Valerie Settles, Ph.D., director of the School of Design at UCO.
Johnson, an interior design major from McAlister, Oklahoma, was named one of Metropolis Magazine’s 2025 Future100, a highly competitive list of North America's top 100 architecture and interior design students. Johnson was nominated by UCO Professor SeonMi Choi, Ph.D., for her outstanding ability to balance creative thinking with technical precision and thoughtful design solutions.
The Metropolis Future100 program, launched in 2021, is a collaborative effort between Metropolis Magazine and top design educators across the United States and Canada. It showcases emerging talent poised to lead the next generation of interior and architectural design.
This marks the third consecutive year that UCO interior design students have earned national recognition. John Wilkerson was named to the Metropolis Future100 list in 2024, and Adnan Almoghalliq reached the semifinal round of the ASID Student Portfolio Competition in 2023.
“These awards not only celebrate the individual accomplishments of Joselin and Keeleigh but also reinforce the strength of our interior design program at UCO,” Settles said.
“We are deeply proud of our students’ ability to compete at the highest levels nationally.”
UCO’s Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Design is accredited by the Council for Interior Design Accreditation (CIDA) and emphasizes a blend of creative exploration, technical skill-building and real-world application. Graduates of the program are well-prepared for leadership roles in residential, commercial, institutional and environmental design.
For more information about the UCO Department of Design and its interior design program, visit design.uco.edu.
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Cutline: University of Central Oklahoma interior design students Joselin Trejo and Keeleigh Johnson were recently recognized in two of the nation’s top student design competitions. Johnson was named one of Metropolis magazine’s Future100 undergraduate interior design students, and her portfolio includes the pictured rendering of a lounge area designed for the Mere Substance Use Rehabilitation Center in Alva, Oklahoma.
