CONVENTION COVERAGE Check KANSAN.COM during the weeks of the DNC and RNC events for updates.
TEAM STRIVES FOR GREAT YEAR Soccer season begins today vs. Purdue SPORTS 1B
THE STUDENT VOICE SINCE 1904
ART EXHIBIT TO FEATURE TIME
Grad student exhibit features works that explore cultural views on time NEWS | 4A
HE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
FRIDAY, AUGUST 22, 2008
WWW.KANSAN.COM
VOLUME 120 ISSUE 3
BRINGING DOWN THE HOUSE
KU grad wins 'Design Star' show
Tyler Waugh/KANSAN
Jennifer Bertrand, winner of HGTV's "Design Star" poses in front of her mural at Salon Reaction in Overland Park on Wednesday. Bertrand designed much of the salon, including the sinks and lamps.
BY SACHIKO MIYAKAWA smiyakawa@kansan.com
Jennifer Bertrand reached the peak of exhaustion after six weeks of design competitions. She hadn't had a day off during the competition and her emotions were high. She was anxious to create the best design for her client on Home and Garden Television's "Design Star" television show.
Her final assignment for the show was to design and build a kitchen, dining room and living room for a family whose house was damaged by Hurricane Katrina.
"I didn't even think about the fact that it was the final to win the show." Bertrand said. "I thought more about the family, and this family hadn't had a kitchen for three years."
Bertrand, 1998 graduate and designer from Olathe, won HGTV's "Design Star" competition earlier this month. She also received her own HGTV show, which will start in January.
Bertrand auditioned for "Design Star" because she always dreamed of having her own show and didn't want to regret not taking the chance.
Bertrand said she would look forward to teaching design, decor and art.
"I always thought I wanted to do something on a big scale" Bertrand said.
Hosting her own show combines two of her sessions designing and teaching.
"All my worlds collide and everything comes together," Bertrand said.
Lee Skoglund, Bertrand's sister, said the best words to describe Bertrand were "fun" and "energetic."
Bertrand was always around art. Her father is the director of a museum in Saint Joseph, Mo. Her mother is a sculptor.
Bertrand learned about other cultures and different beliefs and values, while traveling to other countries.
"As a kid, I grew up going to all the different castles and chateaus in Europe," Bertrand said. "That's where I started to fall in love with design."
Bertrand earned a degree in visual arts education from the University in 1998. She belonged to the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority and juggled multiple jobs along with
"When you are a designer, you can just design the way you want to," Bertrand said. "I have to be able to change my style to fit to whoever I'm working with."
the Country Club Plaza in Kansas City, Mo. She said being on television brought more business opportunities to her firm. She said she would continue to work for the firm
academic responsibilities. She said the University allowed her to meet a variety of people and exposed her to different art media.
She went back to the University to continue her studies while she was working full-time on her business. She earned a master's in education in 2007.
Bertrand taught art
What made her the best candidate is she really cares about what people want and how the design will function.
Bertrand taught art in the Shawnee school district and in Italy before she became a full-time designer.
LEE SKOGLUNG Jennifer Betrand's sister
She runs a small design firm in Olathe with her husband, Chris Bertrand. They design everything from interiors of residential homes to restaurants and condos on
after the show began in January.
Chris and Jennifer Bertrand now spend a lot of time working together and they sometimes have to work on weekends. He said they both had strong wills and sometimes they clashed during work. But he said he always enjoyed working with her.
"She has an amazing ability to connect with people," Chris said, "She's good at making people feel comfortable."
Edited by Ramsey Cox
Paintings by Jennifer Bertrand make up much of Salon Reaction, in Overland Park. She designed the interior with her design firm. Bertrand recently won HGTVs "Design Star" and will have her own show on the network.
Tyler Waugh/KANSAN
CAMPUS
IT security office responds after users are hit with phishing e-mail
KU launches new insurance plan
The KU Information Technology Security Office sent its first e-mail alert to faculty and students in response to a fraudulent e-mail asking users for personal
CAMPUS
information. The message warned users about the attack, part of a trend called phishing.
A newly revised student health insurance plan from United Health Care is available through the University. The plan
provides more benefits than the one previously offered and costs less than $1,000. Students can find applications for the
insurance online or at Watkins Memorial Health Center.
SEE FULL STORY ON PAGE 3A
index
SEE FULL STORY ON PAGE 4A
Classifieds. 5B
Crossword. 6A
Horoscopes. 6A
Opinion. ...7A
Sports. ...1B
Sudoku. ...6A
All contents, unless stated otherwise, © 2008 The University Daily Kansan
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SEINFELD IS A PC GUY
The former sitcom star will endorse Microsoft ENTERTAINMENT | 6A
weather
Scattered t-storms
9
6
---