Photo by KELLY MARSHALL alicia cannon Principal AJC Design New York I grew up in Ridgefield, Connecticut. I was very creative as a child. I was asked in the fifth grade to write on an index card what I wanted to be when I grew up. To this day I can remember seeing it posted on the bulletin board in the back of the classroom with interior designer written on it. While my mom was pregnant with me she was actually attending the New York School of Interior Design. Many believe my career decision was due to the prenatal design training I was exposed to early on. My first memory of design was during a family trip to Austria. We visited a beautiful famous castle and I was fascinated by the details in the design and the ornate furnishings. Every summer, my family vacationed in South Carolina. My parents would attempt to drive through the night, occasionally taking short rests at the car park. My mother and father were able to recline but us kids had 1 Photo by MICHAEL GRIMM 092 June 2015 hospitalitydesign.comhttp://www.hospitalitydesign.com