Jaime Ortega
Having Faith In Himself To Accomplish His Goals

Arnel Jaime Ortega is an evening student at FIDM who will soon graduate in Interior Design with honors. Jaime grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, likes to go to museums, to look at artwork, and enjoys drawing and sculpting out of clay and aluminum. He likes anything having to do with the arts and music. Jaime is inventive and methodical. He knows about of architectural and furniture styles, merchandise presentation, rendering, space planning and color and material selections. Prior to attending FIDM Jaime went to Mount San Antonio College in Walnut, California, and Pasadena Community College in Pasadena, California.

Jaime developed a passion for interior design at a very young age. "I have always been an extremely creative, person and at age 12, I constantly redecorated my bedroomž and I had fun with it." Jaime eventually came to realize that he had a "knack" for interior designing. Friends of his had encouraged him to go back to school for some time but he hadn't convinced himself. Jaime visited the campus while helping a friend who was attending FIDM. After touring the Los Angeles facilities and doing research about FIDM's Interior Design program, he decided to study at the Los Angeles campus.

Jaime had to support himself while attending college. The night program allowed him to work full-time while attending school. "It was difficult to balance everything at first, but in time I learned to manage my time effectively and meet the challenge. I made school my priority and made sacrifices to accommodate my goals. I am very happy with the Interior Design program at FIDM because it is very focused and well planned. My instructors are excellent. They have bent over backwards for me and are really giving and helpful. I think the evening faculty extends themselves to help make things a little more tolerable for the night students. I have developed really good instructor-student relationships and use some of them as professional contacts. I also like the fact that my classes are small and I can receive individualized attention."

Jaime's work experience includes being a production assistant at Charles Pollock Reproductions. After graduation Jaime plans to stay with the company he is currently working for, Charles Pollock Reproductions, and do freelance interior design work.

Advice Jaime has for the potential night student: "You have to know that this is what you want to do. It is a no-nonsense program and you have to be very focused if you want to succeed. It is manageable if you know how to use your time effectively. You must have a lot of faith in yourself if you want to accomplish your goals."

Please Note: The information contained herein was confirmed at the time of original publication