Artist Biography
Simeon Owens will graduate from Endicott College in May of 2026 with his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Interior Architecture. Since his freshman year, he has been succeeding academically, receiving the Dean’s List distinction every semester of his college career. In addition to this achievement, he also was the sophomore presenter for Endicott’s CIDA re-accreditation in 2024. He was also recognized as the selected interior architecture major for Endicott Arts’s exhibit at Munster Technological University, highlighting his hospitality studio project, Rocky River High School. In addition to his academic experience, Simeon has completed three internships over the course of his time at Endicott, the most recent of which was completed at Visnick & Caulfield Associates in Boston, focusing on corporate interior design in the urban setting. He strongly enjoyed the internship, and is very excited to be returning to VCA as a Junior Designer after he graduates. He was also fortunate enough to be selected for an Endicott internship spotlight, being able to share his story and his internship experience with the Endicott community. Also in the interior architecture realm, he has had the privilege of being a peer tutor for IA and Revit the last two years, helping students with design ideas and software struggles. In addition to his academic success, Simeon is heavily involved on campus. Also in the arts, he is a member of the Endicott Singers and Mainstage Theater. He has also been in ECHO A Capella for four years, for three of which he served on the E-Board as the Media & Marketing Coordinator, handling the ECHO Instagram, designing posters and promotional materials, and designing their biannual merchandise. His involvements extend beyond the arts, however: he has thoroughly enjoyed being a tour guide for the last year, helping students and families through their college search. Furthermore, over the last three years, Simeon has been a committed member of the Endicott Orientation team, earning the Orientation Leader of the Year award in 2025 for his commitment to the program.
Thesis Abstract
How can we create a center that helps improve LGBTQ individuals’ life experiences by increasing their familial acceptance and familial relationships, especially with a focus on religious-fueled hate?
LENS Family Center provides a multi-faceted path to increase acceptance for families and parents who struggle to accept their LGBTQ children/youth. The center helps increase acceptance by providing psychological interventions like acceptance-focused attachment based family therapy (ABFT) and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT); interventions that incorporate religion and spiritual practices like christian social work, accepting worship spaces, and taizé, prayer, and meditation spaces; as well as a variety of alternative supportive measures like parental support groups, education on LGBTQ experiences, family dinner for bonding and cohesion, and an art gallery to promote and increase parental empathy. These are all set in a design that focuses on user comfort (both emotional and physical) to encourage parents to utilize the resources and be comfortable in the space. Through utilization of thresholds and transitional spaces, Memphis-inspired design, incorporation of nature, and more, LENS family center supports parents and encourages acceptance to take shape in their lives.