CCS’s 2025 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient, Sabrina Nelson, ’91 Fine Arts, will never forget her first visit to College for Creative Studies.

It was 1985, and Nelson was fresh out of Detroit’s Cooley High School. The graphic designer at her summer job with the State of Michigan — CCS alum Rob Kangas, ’80 Photography— had encouraged her to apply, even going as far as setting up her admission interview and dropping her and her sketchbook off at the Yamasaki Building.

A mom at 15, Nelson had filled her sketchbook with drawings of her baby and other things important to her, like the covers of her favorite Janet Jackson, Michael Jackson and Prince albums, along with the required calligraphy. She wasn’t aware that she’d needed a portfolio, or even what one was — until the admissions counselors pushed her artwork back across the table and said, “No, you’re not ready.”

“I was angry. I felt ignored. I felt invisible,” said Nelson, who left the interview without being offered advice or even a tour. “And because I’m hyper independent, it pissed me off.”

Although the expression “hell hath no fury like a woman scorned” may not have been intended for art school rejections, it certainly applies to how Nelson handled hers. While she waited for Kangas to pick her up, she explored campus on her own. Sketchbook tucked under her arm, she walked through the Industrial Design studios, asking students to show what they were working on, knowing she was equally capable.

“I felt ashamed because I knew I was an artist and I knew I was good.”

Kangas made Nelson another appointment, this time with Hope Palmer at Henry Ford Community College (now Henry Ford College). She was accepted and stayed for a year and a half, with Palmer advising her on what classes to take.

“I left with a 4.0 and a hell of a portfolio”

“And I made another appointment with the same people who rejected me.”

Although the three admissions counselors didn’t remember Nelson from her first CCS interview, they wouldn’t forget her again. Impressed with her portfolio, especially her figure and life drawings, they not only offered her admission but also nearly a full tuition scholarship.

By that time, Nelson was 20 and the mother of two. Still nursing her son — Mario Moore, ’09 Illustration, recipient of CCS’s 2023 Distinguished Alumni Award — she took the campus by storm. She asked to work in the Admissions Office for her work-study, hoping to ensure no other CCS hopefuls left rejected and dejected. She raised her voice when Black artists weren’t studied in art history classes. Children often in tow, she served on student government and as president of BART (Black Artists Researching Trends).

View Sabrina’s work at https://www.sabrinanelsonart.com/

Sabrina Nelson speaks at a podium during the CCS commencement ceremony.
Sabrina Nelson receives recognition onstage during the CCS commencement ceremony.
Sabrina Nelson poses with family following the CCS commencement ceremony.
Sabrina Nelson holds her award while seated in commencement regalia.
Sabrina Nelson smiles while seated in commencement regalia.

Sometimes when you meet someone, you just click. For Stephanie Kalb and Chair of Interior Design, Sandra Olave, a shared elevator ride at College for Creative Studies was that moment. And it would prove to be pivotal in paving a career pathway for a lifetime passion for interior design.

I love this job because I love to draw things and then make it into reality.

What sparked your interest in interior design?

I was taking evening classes at CCS. At the end of the semester, I came to this exhibition just to see it with my friends. As I’m getting out of the lift, I see this fantastic woman – this charismatic woman coming at me. She said, “You are Stephanie Kalb.” I was like, “Whoa. I don’t know this woman.” And that was Sandra Olave, the head of the Interior Design department. She said, “I want you in my class.” I have to tell you that this little sentence, for me, was very boosting. It really boosted my interest in interior design and materials. Then I studied for four years at CCS in the Interior Design department.

Did you always know that you wanted to go into interior design? Or is this something that you realized later in life?

I believe I knew it, but I didn’t understand it at the beginning. When I was younger, I started to study marketing for five years or so. But I was very interested in interior design. I was going to all the fairs in Europe. I was visiting all the construction sites that I could. Going and seeing and imagining the different rooms that it could be. I’ve always been very open to design.

How does it feel now to see your designs realized in front of you?

This is fulfilling to me. I love this job because I love to draw things and then make it into reality. This is my passion now. I love to see how drawings can become reality. Fulfilling the customer’s needs. We need to understand the ways they live when we’re doing residential, when we are doing offices, and the way they want the strategy to be put into walls. Because of my background in marketing, I’m very, very interested in this part as well.

What do you love the most about what you do?

Starting the project on-site. This is an exciting moment. You’ve been doing the conception for two months, three months, sometimes even longer, and then it turns into reality, into technical problems, into, “How am I going to work with this facade?” Then working with the workers and having them understand what you want to reach, and understanding their problems as well, is an interesting part for me. Plans are plans, but when you are in it, for example, this apartment was a big challenge because we had so many surprises, and we had to deal with so many problems. I love that.

If you could go back in time and talk to your younger self, what would you say?

Start studying interior design as soon as possible. Don’t waste your time. I have to say that going back to studies when you’re 35 – I was 35 at this point, with three kids – I had different problems from the other students. For me, at the beginning, it was quite a challenge, especially with all the software. I mean, the computer part was pretty tough. I had to work many, many nights on top of days as a mom.

“I would start right away, and not be afraid of this kind of career.”

How do you feel CCS prepared you for a career in interior design?

I have to tell you that I really loved their way of teaching. I could compare it with France, for example. France was very conceptual. Till the end, I mean, I did the last year in France, and it was very conceptual, while CCS was more technical. I love this part as well. Sandra is a great enhancer of talent and concept. She’s very good at bringing you to the end of your concept, and I loved this. And you’ve got other teachers teaching you technical things that are very fundamental when you start to work because you might have very good ideas, very good drawings, but if you cannot make it into reality, it’s a problem. I really loved the two parts of CCS, the conceptual and the technical.

At the end of the four years you transferred, why is that?

I was an expat in Detroit. My husband came to the end of his contract, so we had to go back to France. I couldn’t go on with the CCS studies, and on top of that, I wanted to study in France, because I knew I would practice in France. It’s a different system – electrical system, different rules, of course, different materials. I really wanted to have a graduation in France. So I completed four years at CCS with one year in Paris.

What’s your ultimate goal or dream?

I would love to work in the U.S., actually. I would love to do a project with my European background and to put it back in the U.S. with what I know from there.

Learn more about CCS's Interior Design program

Over the course of the Fall semester, the College for Creative Studies hosted 11 sponsored projects and competitions across a variety of disciplines. Students from a wide range of disciplines partnered with local and global brands to work on a specific project tailored to meet the needs of our industry partners. Sponsored projects are highly conceptual and allow CCS students the opportunity to participate in creative, research-based assignments within real-world design parameters, interacting with designers and staff from the partnering company. Highlighted collaborations during the Fall semester include:

“The most important project that I did at CCS was a sponsored project,” said Hakha Masahyekhi, ’15 Integrated Design (MFA) reflecting on his time here. “It was so valuable to get real feedback from working professionals. That’s something that you never get in school.”

For Jacob Emmett, creativity isn’t just a passion – it’s a way of life. As a Coach Workshop Apprentice, Jacob has found his calling in the hands-on world of design and craftsmanship. From his roots in Detroit to the fast-paced energy of New York City, Emmett’s journey is one of self-discovery and a deep love for the art of making. In this interview, he shares the rewards of creating with his hands and gives us insight into his day-to-day in one of the fashion world’s most exciting spaces.

“If you don’t like what you’re doing, then why are you doing it?”

Did you always know that you wanted to work in a workshop at an iconic brand like this? How did you get here?

I was always interested in doing something creative. Once I got into the Fashion Accessories Design program, I discovered I care more about making things. I still enjoy designing, but if I wasn’t going to be hands-on for a job, that was a deal-breaker for me.

When you’re working on something and then you see the final product all put together, it’s the best feeling. Even if you’re making something for yourself, whatever it may be, it’s just the most rewarding feeling.

Where do you draw inspiration from? What keeps you motivated?

It’s always changing, but the driving force that keeps me motivated is my surroundings. Whether it’s buildings or the attitude of the city I’m in.

What’s it been like working in New York?

It’s very different moving here from Detroit. I lived there my whole life. It’s a little crazy at first, but I think that there’s a certain momentum with New York. It keeps you moving and keeps you wanting to do things. It can be a bit exhausting at the same time, but it’s very exciting.

Every day is a little bit different. Usually, a member of the design team will come down with some crazy idea and multiple design cards, and then we help them bring it to life. We’ll start on the pattern making, and then we’ll start making a physical prototype so they can see the bag in front of them, and decide what they like and what they don’t like about it. We can tell them certain challenges, some things that might need to be changed, and then we go from there. That’s the beginning steps of what leads to a bag being produced.

What would you say to somebody who is looking to go into a creative field?

Just keep doing things that interest you and that you enjoy, and just try to stay authentic to yourself. When you start dabbling or messing around with stuff that you aren’t necessarily passionate about, you can get stuck in that. That’s when I feel like people start to resent what they do. Try to do things that you enjoy.

If you don’t like what you’re doing, then why are you doing it?

What do you love most about what you do?

I love all the people on my team. It’s very rewarding to come in and spend time and learn from the people around me in the shop. I love all the hands-on aspects of it, from cutting up paper to making prototypes, and working on sewing machines. Just being in the environment in general is what I love the most about it.

How do you feel CCS has prepared you for your career and what you’re doing now?

Personally, I think CCS gave me the opportunity to kind of grow and expand myself as a creative, and figure out my identity in that sense. It definitely was like a big growth period for me and prepared me in that sense. Other than that, just like the fashion studio is amazing, all the machines, all of the professors there, they really help you kind of mold who you are as a designer, all of them. So yeah.

If you could go back in time, what would you say to your younger self?

Sit back and listen to people. Try to learn as much as you can from the people around you, no matter what. Even if you disagree with what somebody is teaching or their viewpoints, just sit back and listen and try to learn from everyone around you.

CCS alum Jacob Emmett in Coach's workshop

“I love all the people on my team. It’s very rewarding to come in and spend time and learn from the people around me in the shop.”

Learn more about CCS's Fashion Design program

Camille Guellec fell in love with the art of rug design during her time at CCS. Drawn to the hands-on creativity of tufting, she built her own tufting frame with help from faculty and friends in the Fiber & Textiles program creating a tool for not just herself, but future students to use to explore the craft. Through her minor in Fashion Accessories Design, she gained the skills to land herself a job crafting bags for an iconic design house before finding her way back to where it all began.

The Interview

“I love getting lost in the moment of creating. Time flies and I don’t even realize it. It’s a beautiful experience.” –Camille Guellec

How did you end up where you are today? I’m actually from France. Both of my parents are French. I spoke French at home my whole life but never lived here until about two years ago. I still have a lot of family here in France.

When I first left CCS, I planned to move to France. I applied to Hermes and got into their leatherworking training program. And then, for a year, I worked with them, learning how to make bags on a high-end quality scale. It was exceptional. I think by the time I left, there were about 15 bags that I made that are out there in the world somewhere. I don’t know who has them, but it’s a cool little fun fact.

Now, I’m working as a design specialist for a UK company called Rug Artisan. I’m a rug designer. I research a lot of trends and make my own designs, and sometimes I’ll have clients that I have to work with. They might want a specific design based on an idea that they saw and I help design whatever they need.

What do you love most about rug design? What I love most is actually getting to make the rugs and being hands-on. I love getting lost in the moment of creating. Time flies and I don’t even realize it. It’s a beautiful experience.

Who or what inspires you? I get a lot of inspiration online. When it speaks to me, it speaks to me. Living here inspires me a lot, too. I’m working on a personal collection for my job. It’s a Parisian-inspired collection, so I’m working with the Guimard-style metros the way that they have the green curvy architecture.

What’s your ultimate goal? What are you hoping to accomplish in, say, 10 or 20 years? Hopefully, I’ll have made my own rug-making business flourish while still working in rug design for a big corporate company at the same time. I really like the fact that there’s a possibility to have steady pay and also be able to have my own business on the side, because I’m working from home and have such flexible hours.

How do you feel CCS helped you prepare you for this career? CCS helped me learn how to network. I found this job on my own. I reached out to people and that’s not something I would have ever known how to do without the classes that I took.

What advice would you give your younger self? Take advantage of the facilities that you have. I didn’t realize how much I would miss having a screen printing studio and the Fashion Accessories Design studio with all the industrial sewing machines. It’s really phenomenal to have all of that. I mean, you’re paying for it. You might as well use it as much as you possibly can.

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Header image credit: Photo by Glenn Triest

CCS is proud to announce that the 2025 Re/View: CCS Alumni Exhibition will be juried by Glenn Triest, a 1982 Photography alumnus, esteemed Detroit-based photographer, and long-standing member of the Alumni Council. The exhibition opens on May 16, 2025, in the Valade Family Gallery.

Re/View 2025: Artist Vision

The CCS Alumni Exhibition is a rich tradition I am honored to see thrive and grow, uniting artists across diverse talents, disciplines, generations, and experiences. I see this exhibition as a space where we, as alumni, are unified as if in orbit by the compelling force to create, returning to our shared place of artistic origin. Together, our diverse perspectives and works come together to celebrate the legacy of CCS—a vibrant testament to the power of creativity and community.

Learn More or Submit Artwork for Re/View

Artist Bio

A commercial and editorial photographer based in Ferndale, Michigan, Glenn Triest founded Triest Photographic in 1987. With a career spanning over 40 years, his work focuses on portraiture, capturing the depth and diversity of the human condition. His compelling stories have explored topics such as mental health, politics, business, healthcare, and homelessness, with more than 20,000 of Triest’s photographs published across national and international platforms.

Deeply committed to his community, Triest serves on several Detroit nonprofit boards and has created Imprint Press, a nonprofit initiative that produces fundraising materials for charitable organizations. He is also the president of the Coville Photographic Art Foundation and has been an active member of the College for Creative Studies Alumni Council since 2009.

Triest began as a street photographer, honing his skills in intuition and sensitivity as he documented life on the streets of Detroit. This early work sparked a lifelong passion for the city’s landscapes and the vibrant stories of its people. Today, he continues to pursue personal photography projects and professional assignments. In recent years, Triest has expanded his creative practice to include metalworking, crafting pieces that juxtapose Detroit’s organic beauty with its industrial character.