Where It Begins
Every great firm is shaped not just by the work it produces, but by the people it brings into the fold and this summer, Tribus Interior Design welcomed two of Anderson University’s interior design students through its doors.
Olivia Black and Caelyn Cramer spent their summer immersed in the world of high-end residential and commercial design at Tribus, working alongside a team that knows firsthand what it takes to build a career in this industry. By the end of it, neither of them had to wonder what came next. Both were offered full-time positions more than a year before they’re even set to graduate in May 2027.
A Legacy of Anderson University
What makes this moment feel especially fitting is the thread that runs through it. Susan Peace-Vernon, President and Principal Designer at Tribus, is herself one of Anderson University’s own a member of the program’s earliest four-year graduating class in 1994. Baylie Weeks, Tribus’s Director of Design, followed that same path, graduating from AU in 2018.
The firm that Olivia and Caelyn interned with this summer wasn’t just any design firm. It was one built, in part, by people who walked the same halls they do now.
Investing in What Comes Next
At Tribus, bringing in the next generation of designers has always been personal. Susan knows what it’s like to be on the other side of that experience and she takes seriously what it means to be someone else’s first look at the profession.
“Anderson University produces incredibly talented designers, and we’ve always felt a connection to that program. Getting to open our doors to these students, let them work on real projects alongside our team, and watch them grow over a summer — that’s one of the most rewarding things we do. When someone comes in and just gets it, you know. You want to be part of where they’re headed.”
— Susan Peace-Vernon, President & Principal Designer, Tribus Interior Design
