April 23, 2025 Three Students Named in 2025 METROPOLIS Future100

METROPOLIS has named three University of Tennessee, Knoxville, School of Interior Architecture seniors amongst its Future100 program, recognizing 100 outstanding graduating students who represent the next generation of design leaders in the United States and Canada.

Kate O’Neil, Kiera Rupp, and Cecilia Torres-Panzera were joined by 28 other students graduating from interior design and interior architecture programs.

Kate O'Neil poses for a graduation photo in a white dress and a white and orange stole infront of a gothic style building exterior.

O’Neil, nominated by Assistant Professor Hojung Kim, is a 2024 Gensler Brinkmann recipient for her third-year project, Salutogenic Sanctuary, an in-patient addiction center with out-patient facilities and sanctuary conceptual design. Coming into the program, she was initially drawn to the creative and artistic aspects of the field merged with the ability to study design that influences humans and captures the surrounding environment.

“I feel like I have been exposed to so many different design perspectives, cultural experiences, and professional opportunities that have shaped my undergraduate education,” said O’Neil. “I have been able to form my own perspectives and passions towards design that have given me a glimpse into how I personally want to make a difference through design. My experiences have not only academically pushed me, but also grown me personally.”

Kiera Rupp poses inside the Art and Architecture Building at UT. She is wearing a black blouse with short, ruffled sleeves.

Rupp was nominated by School Director and Associate Professor Milagros Zingoni Phielipp for her curiosity, learning attitude, ability to take every feedback in the most positive way. With a family member in the industry, Rupp discovered a passion for interiors early on.

“Coming from New York, I wanted a big change, so I chose to go south—and I’m so glad I did,” she said. “When I was applying to colleges, I noticed that UT called the program ‘interior architecture’ instead of ‘interior design.’ That distinction really drew me in, and it helped me realize that UT was the right fit.”

Cecilia Torres-Panzera poses in a sunlit glass atrium, wearing a white sweater, with a vibrant orange and yellow glass sculpture hanging above her.

Torres-Panzera, nominated by Associate Professor Rana Abudayyeh, is also a 2024 Gensler Brinkmann recipient for her temporary exhibition concept depicting Villa Temporaria Rincón Chico de Piedra del Águila, a temporary town in the southeast of the province of Neuquén, in Patagonia, Argentina. Throughout her time in the program, Torres-Panzera has benefited from the school’s international visiting professors.

“Especially during my last semester, I am realizing how the school of interior architecture leaves each student with their own design DNA,” she said. “I have gotten the chance to be taught by minds from around the world, and minds that have experienced lives very different from mine. My experience traveling to Mexico City with the BMA studio opened my eyes to parts of my culture I didn’t even realize were there. Javier Sanchez, Aisha Ballesteros, and BMA’s support have gifted me an appreciation for culture and craft that I will cherish forever.”

The selection of O’Neil, Rupp, and Torres-Panzera emphasizes the school’s commitment to fostering design leaders prepared to make a global impact.

The 2025 METROPOLIS Future100 was sponsored by Formica, Keilhauer, OFS, and Sherwin-Williams.