PULLMAN, Wash.—During a spring afternoon on Washington State University’s campus, students in the Interior Design program at the School of Design and Construction gather to celebrate one of the most important milestones of their academic careers: the annual portfolio awards. Years of sketches, models, presentations, revisions, and late-night pizza are distilled into carefully curated portfolios that tell the story of who they are as designers and who they hope to become.
Standing among them is a familiar face, someone who understands that journey as both a former student and mentor: Jennifer Lynn Scott (’10 Fine Arts, ’17 Int. Des.), known to most simply as Jenna. For Jenna, the event is more than a ceremony; it is a glimpse into the future.
“You see these students and realize they’re about to launch,” said Jenna. “They’re stepping into their careers, and maybe a scholarship or award can help remove one obstacle from their path.”
That belief has guided her lifelong commitment to the program she first hoped to join in the late 1990s while growing up in Clarkston. What began as an education evolved into a decades-long relationship with the program. After launching her professional career, Jenna regularly returned to campus for critiques and portfolio reviews while working at Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories.
Later, while raising a family as a single mother of a 10-year-old son and 14-year-old daughter, she came back to complete a master’s degree in interior design, eventually teaching in the program and continuing her involvement as a research affiliate. Along the way, Jenna discovered that the Interior Design program was more than an academic community. It was a family.
That support became especially meaningful in 2018, when a collision with a semitruck dramatically altered her life. The accident left her with a traumatic brain injury and significant memory loss. Tasks she once performed effortlessly became daily challenges.
Yet, amid the uncertainty, Jenna found strength in the people who had supported her throughout her WSU journey. Faculty members, colleagues, former students, and friends rallied around her. Their encouragement helped her envision a future beyond the accident.
“After the accident, I couldn’t walk without a cane for years and struggled to remember things,” said Jenna. “But in 2023, I’d healed enough to walk 360 miles across the northern coast of Spain to complete the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.”
Rather than letting the near-fatal experience to define her, Jenna chose to define its outcome.
Using funds from a legal settlement, she established the J. Scott Scholarship and Portfolio Awards in Interior Design, creating opportunities for WSU students at every stage of the program. Today, her philanthropy supports scholarships, celebrates graduating seniors, and provides meaningful experiential assistance to students as they prepare to enter the profession.
The scholarship’s unofficial name, Prism, carries special meaning.
A prism transforms light, refracting it into new colors and possibilities. For Jenna, it symbolizes a philosophy that emerged from her own experience.
“People cannot always control what happens to them,” Jenna said, “but they can choose how they respond, much like light passing through a prism and emerging transformed.”
Her message has resonated deeply with students.
For Gabriella Mendez (aka Gabby), a first-place recipient of a J. Scott Portfolio Award who grew up in Olympia, the recognition validated years of hard work. Originally drawn to architecture, she discovered interior design at WSU and embraced the discipline with enthusiasm. From her sophomore year onward, she viewed the portfolio competition as a goal worth pursuing, continually refining her work and documenting her growth as a designer.
Winning the award came at a pivotal moment. Newly married and preparing for the next chapter of life, she faced the realities of relocation expenses and student loans. The financial support was meaningful, but the example Jenna set left an even deeper impression.
“Jenna’s generosity has inspired me to pay it forward,” said Gabby (’26 Int. Des.), who is an interior designer with BCRA Design in Tacoma. “Her support showed me how deeply one person’s investment can impact a student’s future, and I hope to one day provide that same kind of encouragement and mentorship to others.”
For Lily Hendrickson (’26 Int. Des.), another award recipient, the support arrived as she prepared to move to Portland and begin her professional career. Like many graduating seniors, she was balancing ambition with the practical realities of launching a new life in a new city.
The award eased that transition and reminder her that others believed in her potential.
“Receiving this award helped make my transition from student to professional possible,” said Lily, who grew up in Hawaii and works as an interior designer at Scott Edwards Architecture in Portland. “Beyond the financial support, it reminded me that people believe in what we can achieve and are willing to invest in our futures.”
Those words capture exactly what Jenna hoped her gift would accomplish.
The annual letters she receives from scholarship recipients remain among her most treasured connections to the program. They remind her that philanthropy is not simply about funding education. It is about building confidence, nurturing talent, and creating opportunities that ripple outward through careers, communities, and future generations.
Today, Jenna continues to mentor students, attend portfolio reviews, and celebrate their achievements. Her role has changed over the years, from student to professional, teacher, mentor, and donor, but her commitment to WSU’s Interior Design program has remained constant.
Through scholarships, awards, and personal encouragement, she has created a legacy rooted in resilience and service. And like light passing through a prism, that legacy continues to illuminate and spread, opening new possibilities for every student it touches.
“Jenna was one of my first students when I joined WSU in 1998,” said Bob Krikac, head of WSU’s Interior Design program. “From the beginning, she demonstrated a deep passion for interior design and a genuine commitment to learning. Although her journey included a few detours, she consistently returned to her passion, ultimately earning a master’s degree in Interior Design and launching a career as an educator. Throughout her journey, Jenna has remained dedicated to giving back, generously mentoring students both as a graduate student and as an educator.
“The impact of Jenna’s generosity on our students has been truly transformational. Through the Prism Scholarships and the Jenna Scott Portfolio Design Competition, she has created meaningful opportunities for students at critical points in their academic and professional journeys. Her support has made a lasting difference for graduating students like Gabby and Lily, as well as for students still working their way through the program. Beyond helping students achieve their academic and professional goals, her generosity addresses some of the very real challenges they face along the way—from ensuring they can afford nutritious meals and participate in study tours to easing the financial stress of pursuing their education. By helping relieve these burdens, Jenna gives our students something invaluable: the ability to focus on learning, growing, and preparing for successful careers in interior design. We are truly grateful for Jenna’s active participation in and generous contributions to our program.”
To learn more about supporting WSU, visit give.wsu.edu. To learn more about WSU’s Interior Design program within the School of Design and Construction at the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture, visit sdc.wsu.edu/interior-design.
