Online Master's in Design Management & Communications
Alisa Tom
For most people, achieving a lifelong dream is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. But two lifelong dreams? That’s reality for Alisa Tom (G’23).
The California native graduated from San Francisco State University with a major in interior design and a double minor in fine arts and English literature. She worked her way up in a few interior design agencies in the Bay Area. But Tom felt something was missing.
“As a new manager at a commercial interior design firm,” says Tom, “I discovered that while I had spent years training to be a designer, I had never been trained in the art of leading and developing creative teams.”
That’s an entirely different set of skills. Fortunately, Tom found the Master of Professional Studies in Design Management & Communications at Georgetown University. While the School of Continuing Studies is on the other side of the country in Washington, D.C., the master’s program is entirely online.
“I wanted to grow my tool set, develop my team, and continue working while learning,” says Tom. “Georgetown’s virtual, applied learning program allowed me to do just that.”
When asked, Tom points to the curriculum as a strength. Each course encourages ethical explorations, she says, encouraging students to develop their own perspectives on industry issues.
“Our curriculum never centered around memorizing hollow facts and theories,” says Tom. “Instead, it asked us to develop our own thoughts, ethical codes, and voice. The program challenges students to define their purpose in the field by questioning and creating their own value system.
“This approach pushed me to think critically about the impact I want to make as a designer and helped me to reimagine how design can change the world.”
Twice-in-a-Lifetime
Tom’s design philosophy is grounded in the belief that our surroundings profoundly affect our mood, productivity, and overall well-being. As she considered her career path, she realized she wanted to shift from designing for corporate clients to designing for everyone.
Leaning heavily on the management side of her master’s degree, Tom recently launched Modern Sanctuaries, a holistic interior design studio dedicated to promoting well-being, empowerment, and innovation through design. Over the course of a year, she turned what began as a freelance business into a full-time venture—the first lifelong dream achieved.
“My goal now is to extend the benefits of wellness-centered design beyond the corporate and luxury sectors, making it accessible to everyone seeking environments that uplift their quality of life. I aim to use design as a force for good, democratizing its benefits to uplift underserved communities and create spaces that help them thrive.”
As if starting a business weren’t enough, Tom also won a Fulbright creative arts scholarship to pursue her project, “Design for Change,” at The University of Edinburgh this fall.
“As a Fulbrighter, I aspire to be a catalyst for change,” says Tom. “I am eager to contribute to the Fulbright Program’s mission of developing compassionate leadership and fostering global diplomacy.”
Two lifelong dreams down. How many more to go?
“Hoya Saxa,” says Tom, “and as the Scottish saying goes, ‘Lang may yer lum reek!’”