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2001 George Bates AwardJoanna Panayiotou was presented with the 2001 George Bates Award By Eimear McNelis - 4th June 2002 - Back to News Joanna Panayiotou was presented with the 2001 George Bates Award at the recent GippsTAFE Graduation Ceremony held in Morwell.
The George Bates Award is named after the late George Bates who had a long association with the Institute, the SECV and the Gippsland region. The award is presented to the student, staff have judged as the most outstanding student across all campuses.
Ms Panayiotou commenced as a part time student in 1998 and spent the next 4 years studying a Diploma of Arts (Interior Decoration and Design), which was a new initiative of GippsTAFE’s Painting and Decorating Department.
Ms Panayiotou worked previously in a range of clerical and administrative positions prior to commencing her studies at the Institute. During her studies she continued to manage the demands of raising three small children.
As a student at the Institute, Ms Panayiotou’s projects were of a high standard, earning her distinctions and credits in nearly every subject she undertook.
Ms Panayiotou’s enthusiasm and commitment to work projects was exceptional as was her product knowledge. Her projects were always well researched and clearly demonstrated her creativity and knowledge of current trends.
During her studies Ms Panayiotou was required to work with a number of external clients, a task she approached professionally, always communicating effectively with her clients to successfully fulfil their design requirements.
Ms Panayiotou undertook many projects in the kitchen industry, completing colour and product themes in private homes and commercial showrooms.
It was always Ms Panayiotou’s dream to work for herself or a well-known firm, and in order to achieve this ambition, she would often undertake design and decorating work, utilising the skills and knowledge she was acquiring through her studies.
Ms Panayiotou’s dream has now become a reality. She has her own interior design business, and recently commenced as the Merchandiser and Decorator Manager of the new Freedom Furntiture store in Traralgon, which includes managing the store’s Interior Design Service.
Source: http://gippsland.com/ Published by: news@gippsland.com

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