Skip Nav

Student Success Stories

Extension Honored Instructors

Student Success Stories

Julie Moynihan photoJulie Moynihan, Art and Design

Julie Moynihan wants to encourage other single parents that if she can go back to school, then it is possible—one class at a time. After 16 years as a stay-at-home mom, Moynihan, who has a degree in interior design, is instilling the concepts of motivation, determination, focus and vision in her children by completing the Certificate Program in Interior Design and Interior Architecture and the Professional Program in Sustainable Design. A LEED Green Associate since 2010, Moynihan is also a student member of the American Society of Interior Designers and the International Interior Design Association.

After so many years away from an office, let alone a classroom, Moynihan cites Extension's accessibility and flexible schedules as making her return possible. Now, with only two classes left to earn her interior design certificate, Moynihan credits her fellow students and instructors with creating a welcoming atmosphere. "At UC Berkeley Extension, you experience the human factor," she says. "The students and instructors are on the same playing field because they're here for the same reason: an internal passion for design. The instructors want to be here; they teach from practical experience because they love what they do. I value sharing the same focus. Your instructors and classmates are your colleagues."

With this give-and-take of knowledge and ideas, Moynihan feels confident to re-enter the work force, where she hopes to focus more on the technical side of design, such as drafting, space planning and researching building codes. "I want to know the accuracy of how things are put together," she says. "I love learning. It makes you the best version of who you are."

Read more Art and Design students' Success Stories.

Learn more about Art and Design.

All Student Success Stories.