High Point, NC, Nov. 19, 2025 — The International Society of Furniture Designers® (ISFD) is proud to announce that Calvin Ma is the recipient of the 2025 Tom Conley Student Scholarship. Ma, currently a graduate student at California Polytechnic State University in Pomona, CA, is also the recent winner of the ISFD John Conrad Student Pinnacle Awards for his modernly designed Elaine Chair.
“We had 60 entries this year, in one of our strongest student competitions ever,” stated David Blair, executive director of ISFD. “We saw entries from major universities across the country, including Auburn, Purdue, Savannah College of Art and Design, Appalachian State, and California Polytechnic University. The final scores were so high that we expanded our number of finalists from 10 to 15, and our top three finishers were separated by only 3.5 points out of a total of 60 possible. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone who entered and to congratulate Calvin on his excellent work. I’m sure he will find a good use for the scholarship funds as he completes his education.”
“It is such an honor to be awarded the John Conrad Student Pinnacle Award and Tom Conley Scholarship,” Ma shared. “I’m so grateful to ISFD for supporting and celebrating design students by giving us this extraordinary opportunity. There were incredible pieces by so many talented students and current designers, and I look forward to one day meeting these brilliant individuals in the realm of professional furniture design. Thank you, ISFD!”
The award’s namesake, Tom Conley, is a past president and chief executive officer of the High Point Market Authority, a longtime board member, and a tireless advocate of ISFD. For over a decade, he supported professional home furnishings product designers and students who wanted to make a career in furnishings design. He always made facilitating student interaction a priority, knowing their experiences at Market and with other industry notables could be an essential launchpad for their careers.
The ISFD Scholarship was established in 2010 by the organization’s Board of Directors with the instrumental help of long-time members Richard and Catherine Frinier. Founded to support gifted student designers from schools nationwide, the scholarship pays a financial award in the fall semester.
