Ranee Buckle

• Diploma of Interior Residential Design

"This part-time course attracts mature age students who are committed to learning." So says award winning CIT graduate Ranee Buckle, who was the DIA ACT Chapter winner for Interior Design, and also overall Student of the Year for 2007.

The Diploma of Interior Design course is extensive and covers a wide range of areas, including colour schemes, merchandising, computer programs like Photoshop and InDesign, and history. "The history class was good. It gives you a broader view and helps you to see things from a place you didn't think you would."

Ranee is full of praise for both the course and the teachers who run it. "The teachers put a lot of themselves into the course," she says. "They tried to ignite a passion for design in us. They encouraged us to learn as much as we could."

One of the important aspects of the CIT course is live client projects. Ranee's design for a refit of Sts Peter and Paul Primary School in Garran was chosen from a close field of classmate's designs. Her theme of a rock, which refers to the rock in Christian literature and stepping stones to the future, won over both the architect Peter Churcher from Strine Design and the Principle of the school. "Peter was taken aback by the quality of the work presents as a class. Because of that, he allowed us to make suggestions - he let us into his design because he could see he could trust us." The work on the first part of the project is now complete, including Ranee's design for the foyer. She asked fellow student Tracey Hull to help her on the project. "We only had four days to meet the deadline for fixtures, including paint, floors, shelving."

Eventually, Ranee would like to get into exhibition design. "It's where I'd like to go because I have an art background." She has previously worked at the War Memorial as Art Manager.