Watch out Martha Stewart, MIPA’s has its own interior room decorators. Just search the hashtag #MIPA2013 and see photos of MIPA campers dorm rooms decorated. Whether you search the hastag on Twitter or Instagram, surely you’ll find them.
On day one of Michigan Interscholastic Press Association (MIPA) attendees of the summer workshop began settling into their dorms. While settling in, campers also began to put up small decorations and simple touches of home for the short stay in Shaw Hall.
Room W318 or the room of Sam Mesgrove and Stephanie Tamm, is a creation of an eye catching door design. The pair each drew a few pictures. Together, they colored them in. Then, the two taped the pictures onto the outside of their room door. Posted on the door is an arrow pointed downward, encouraging campers to sign the paper on the door.
Room W318 also has the most standout and unique item at MIPA. It’s a dream catcher, bedside to Sam Mesgrove.
Mesgrove says she went to Oklahoma and just sort of fell in love with the Native American culture. Then, the dream catchers just all fell into her heart forever. Now she carries the dream catcher wherever she stays.
“A dream catcher to me is what I wanna be,” Mesgrove says. It’s a reminder of what Native Americans went through and how much things have changed she adds.
Down the hall E381, room Edecorated their door with a drawn poster on wall. Roommates Katelyn Polich says “We (Polich and roommate Meredith Whitaker) were tired of getting lost so we put a sign and wanted to be creative and cute with it.” The sign on the door mostly serves as a reminder for the two as to where their room is and exactly which door.
Rochester had a vision for a hall design. Posted on just about every other door and bathroom mirror is a piece of paper that requests that you “Take What You Need”. Along the bottom are words written sideways such as a hug, love, patience, and control. MIPA journalists can tear what they need from the paper. Finally, Rochester leaves an email address to email what you took.
Katherine Pauli says “I took control because that’s what I felt I needed. I feel as though I don’t have control over my life right now so I took what I needed.”
Office director Sunshine Weber says that the girls definitely jazz up rooms more than the boys. So far, the most unique room furnishing she’s seen has come from a room on the 2nd floor. “They have a fiesta theme,” she says. And of course fiesta room wouldn’t be a fiesta room without a piñata so the room has that too!
Another major theme is in the dorm room of Lauren Kostiuk and Angie Wysocki. Thepair went all out for a Hawaiian theme. The theme came from a trip to the store and stumbling upon miscellaneous Hawaiian themed items. “We wanted to add some style to our room so it wouldn’t be as boring,” Kostiuk says.
On the door of room W377, Kostiuk and Wysocki room, there are tiki faces and flamingos. The duo also has colorful lei’s throughout the room.
Regardless how long the stay at Michigan State University is, MIPA journalists still like to add their own touch of flavor to their five day living space. Some carried colorful comforter sets, space rugs, teddy bears and posters for miles and miles.
The personal touch on dorm rooms definitely keeps campers more comfortable and at home. It gives them a chance to get colorful and unique.
If MIPA girls can change a dorm room around in just less than five productive days, what else can they do? Perhaps write a compelling story full of color and creativity. Journalists use creativity in more than just their work but their lifestyles too!
Check out their creativity here!
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