Andrea Arcia’23 Takes 1st Place at National Design Competition in Chicago
The two-year experience at UWC Costa Rica builds a foundation for a lifetime of courageous leadership, deep empathy, and boundless innovation. Every day, our global network of alums shows how the values cultivated on campus translate into real-world impact across diverse industries. Today, we celebrate an incredible milestone from our alum community in the design world!
Huge congratulations to Andrea Arcia ’23 from Nicaragua, who recently represented Queens University of Charlotte and took home 1st Place at the prestigious International Interior Design Association (IIDA) National Student Design Charrette hosted at their headquarters in Chicago during NeoCon.
Designing “Layers of an Ecosystem”
The competition challenged teams to design a versatile workplace for global manufacturer MillerKnoll that supports collaboration, co-working, client engagement, and idea sharing.
Drawing on holistic thinking and a deep understanding of interconnected systems, Andrea and her team developed a winning concept titled “Layers of an Ecosystem.”
“Our concept was inspired by the interconnected systems found in nature,” Andrea shared. “Our design reflected MillerKnoll’s identity as a global manufacturer operating as a collaborative ecosystem, where people, craftsmanship, innovation, and design expertise work in harmony. By designing for relationship-based work, we created spaces that foster community, creativity, and collaboration while also supporting moments of individual focus and reflection.”
Their thoughtful approach placed human connection and natural balance at the center of functional design—a powerful reflection of learning from nature and from each other to build meaningful spaces.
From Campus Principles to Global Impact
Andrea’s ’23 achievement powerfully shows how the global mindset, creativity, and collaborative spirit nurtured during the IB journey at UWC Costa Rica continue to break boundaries internationally. Whether designing sustainable systems, fostering intercultural understanding, or shaping human-centered workspaces, our alums prove every day that learning for a lifetime truly drives change.
The Legacy Continues Across 1,645 Alums
Stories like Andrea’s demonstrate how early idealism, paired with a commitment to sustainable innovation, transforms global systems. Inspired to empower the next generation of changemakers? Consider supporting our mission through the Philanthropy & Scholarship Fund today.