Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, University of Arkansas Division of Agriculture
Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

A newsletter for faculty, staff and students

March-April 2005 • Vol. 31, No. 2

Mother and daughter enroll together in same major

By Andrea Loupe, AGSC student Intern

In a situation that could provide the concept for a new reality show, Catherine Quinn and her mother, Tricia, began college together last fall at the University of Arkansas. Both are first year interior design students in the School of Human Environmental Sciences, which is part of the Dale Bumpers College of Agriculture, Food and Life Sciences.

Interior Design majors Catherine (left) and Tricia Quinn.

Catherine began as a freshman, but Tricia started as a senior due to a previous degree in English.

“Deciding on wardrobe was probably the hardest thing about coming back to college,” said Tricia.

Catherine was the first to decide to attend the University of Arkansas to pursue a degree in interior design.  “I never got to rearrange my room, now I want to do it, and I want to do it right,” she said.

Catherine took an interior design class her senior year at Fayetteville High School.  She enrolled at the U of A because she heard the university has a good interior design program.

Tricia had always wanted to study architecture, law, interior design or fine art.  She narrowed it down to fine art or interior design, but she attended Xavier University, which had neither program.  Tricia graduated from Xavier with a degree in English in 1976.

In 1979, Tricia and her husband, William, moved to Fayetteville where he is an English professor at the University. Tricia worked for the Social Security Administration and opted for early retirement in 2004.

Upon retirement, Tricia asked Catherine if she would mind having her for a classmate at the U of A in interior design.  Catherine agreed.  “I am not going to stop you from doing what you want,” she said.

Tricia and Catherine had one class together during the fall and two this spring, but they rarely sit beside each other.  Although, “when I skip class, I hear about it,” said Catherine.

Tricia said she does not want to “horn in” on Catherine’s experience in college, and said she “won’t let that bug me” when Catherine does skip class.  But Catherine said, “sometimes the mom gets in the way of the student, and the student gets in the way of the mom.

Tricia joined the Honors College and Catherine got involved in Emerging Leaders.  Catherine also works as a diet clerk for Washington Regional Medical Center on weekends.

Because Catherine lives in the dorm, neither sees the other’s interior design projects before they turn them in.  Also, the students are not to help with each other’s projects because then it is harder to come up with an original idea.  Instead, Tricia and Catherine help each other by comparing notes on directions and assignments.

Last semester, everyone in their class had to put their project on the table for everyone to see.  Tricia was admiring a sculpture when she found out it was Catherine’s. 

Tricia said interior designers can do the same jobs as architects, except for designing weight bearing walls.

“Decorating is not necessarily the main thing,” Catherine added.  Interior design students have to know everything from how to comply with building requirements, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act, to matching colors, they said.

During her sophomore or junior year, Catherine would like to intern in Florida.  When she graduates she plans to work for a large firm and eventually start her own business.  She hopes to stay in residential design, but said she might go to commercial design if the pay is better.

Tricia plans to spend the fall 2005 semester in Rome.  William will be teaching a semester in Rome at that time and Tricia plans to capitalize on the opportunity.   She will be involved with an exchange program with U of A architecture students.  “I will be the odd one out because there is no actual interior design program there, but I will work with the professors to ensure I get the credits I need,” said Tricia.

They are taking their son Billy, a junior at Fayetteville High School, to Rome.  He will take a world literature course during the semester.  Catherine declined the trip, wanting to experience life at college without both parents on campus.

After Rome, Tricia plans to complete her degree requirements and find a job in northwest Arkansas in commercial design.