TURNING SKETCHES INTO REALITY:
PARSONS FASHION DESIGN STUDENT WINS DESIGN COMPETITION

(New York, NY—May 23, 2003) Sheila C. Johnson, co-founder of BET and philanthropist, awarded Parsons Fashion Design student and Durham, North Carolina native, Karri Lynn Files, a full scholarship for her senior year at the School, an award value of more than $25,000. Files won first place in a design competition to outfit the staff of Salamander Inn, a Virginia spa owned by Johnson. Her designs will be produced for the staff to wear in time for the opening Summer 2004. The announcement was made last week amongst friends, family, and faculty at the Junior Fashion Show.

The 20-year old junior not only helped coordinate the Junior Fashion Show, but was busy working at the show when the winner was announced.

"It is more than I ever expected," said Files, clearly elated. "I not only get a full ride next year, my drawings on paper will become designs on real people. I'm just so surprised and thrilled by Dr. Johnson's generosity."

Files' designs will also be fabricated for the annual Parsons Benefit and Fashion Show next year, bringing her sketches into a tangible reality. In addition, Johnson also awarded three second place prizes of $3,333 apiece to a design team comprising of Gina Yun-Jung Kim, Alison Rojas, Seon-Yeong Yi, and two third place prizes of $2,500 to collaborating students Joohye Kim and Emily Hoi Wah Yam.

Sheila Johnson's incredible generosity towards Parsons School of Design hardly comes out of the blue. Just last January, Johnson awarded Parsons a $7 million gift, the largest from a single donor in the School's history.

"Parsons is a special place, and anyone who has come here can see that," said Sheila Johnson. "But the School needs help, too, and that's where people like me can come in. I see fantastic work coming out of these students, and I see opportunities to reward their enthusiasm."

The junior year project sprang out of Johnson's desire to help through learning. By giving the students an opportunity to channel their efforts into designing uniforms for the staff at Salamander Inn, Johnson provided them with invaluable real-world experience.

"It's just such an amazing opportunity," said Files' mother, Deborah Files, who was also at the Junior Fashion Show. "To see my daughter and others' efforts so generously rewarded is just wonderful."

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Parsons School of Design, a division of New School University, is one of the largest degree-granting colleges of art and design in the nation. Currently enrolled are about 2,400 undergraduate students, 500 graduate students, and 2,500 non-degree students from all 50 of the United States and from 60 countries. Parsons’ main campuses are located in New York City’s Greenwich Village and Midtown Manhattan. In addition, Parsons has affiliate schools in Paris, France; Kanazawa, Japan; Seoul, South Korea; and at Altos de Chavon in the Dominican Republic. For further information on Parsons, call 212-229-8910 or visit the Web site at www.parsons.edu.