School of Human Ecology

Stitching stories: Georgia Southern fashion student graduates with star-catching career
As a child, Margaret Riggs’ first designs looked like the sketches of most kids: two-dimensional dresses with blocky sleeves, colored in crayon. A far cry from her latest masterpieces, which earned the graduating fashion merchandising student a nomination from the Kennedy Center American College Theatre Festival this year.

Professor of design, by design
Erica Bartels’ passion for design and teaching has found its home at Georgia Southern University, where she began lecturing in 2020. Drawing on her extensive experience in the industry, she encourages her students to appreciate every aspect of their environment through the critical eye of interior design and develop other skills vital to their success as future designers.