Look out Chip and Joanna Gaines, here comes Annie Sandry

MENOMONIE (September 16, 2020) - With a career goal of being the next Chip and Joanna Gaines of the highly popular HGTV show "The Fixer Upper," UW-Stout's Annie Sandry took another step towards her goal last summer when the COVID-19 pandemic took a bite out of her plans.

In pursuit of a double major in Interior Design and Construction, the Clara City, Minn., native, who is also a member of the Blue Devil tennis team, was planning to get an internship in the interior design field. 

"After not getting an internship," Sandry said, "I decided that I was going to just pick up little painting jobs around my hometown for the summer.  I was a painter for three years at the high school I graduated from and I've been painting for people in my community for years so I had experience and I enjoyed the work."

Sandry began the summer by painting the second home of her aunt and uncle. While the aunt and uncle reside in Wyoming, their second home is in North Dakota.

While Sandry was working on the house, "my aunt joked that she could get me a painting job in Wyoming for the rest of the summer and I didn't think she was serious.  Next thing I knew, she called her friends that own a painting business and I had a job the next morning.  So I packed my Jeep and moved out to Wyoming for the rest of summer."

With Yellowstone National Park, Jackson Hole and the Grand Tetons nearby, Sandry began working on residential and small commercial jobs in the Cody, Wyo., area. 

"Most of our jobs were staining the wood siding of houses, trying to get them all done while the weather was nice," Sandry said. "If we were not working outside, we would prep rooms by caulking, taping and sanding, as well as paint ceilings, walls and trim.  Some houses were new build and others would be remodels."

Beginning most days at 6 a.m. by going over the schedule for the day, Sandry said every day was different. 

"Our days never looked the same, largely because of certain deadlines and unpredictable weather," Sandry said. "I would rarely go to the same job two days in a row.  We had to be flexible to get jobs done and we never went through a week without putting in at least 40 hours."

Sandry expanded on her plans to rebuild homes in the fashion of "The Fixer Upper."

"I've (always) loved the idea of buying old houses to redesign and fix them up to become dream homes," Sandry said. "I started out in college as an interior design major to check off the "Joanna" portion of the operation and my plan was to find and marry my "Chip". Well, sophomore year was coming to a close and there was no "Chip" in sight.  So, I looked into it and decided to double major in interior design and construction and start the journey to become both a Chip and a Joanna.

"I think I have always had a good combination of Chip and Joanna in me.  I love to design spaces and put together floor plans but I also love to build it and bring it to life.  I just want to be able to do it all."

Sandry said her summer internship or job hopes have gone awry the last two summers, but both times what she found herself doing ultimately fit into her long range goals.

"My last two summer jobs were not what I was looking for, but I think they were what I needed," Sandry said. "Last summer I worked for a small design build company in Detroit Lakes, Minn.  I originally contacted them about getting an interior design internship but I ended up spending the whole summer out on the construction site building a garage, installing interior finishes, replacing siding and so much more.

Combine that with this summer's job working as a painter and Sandry was able to see more of the big picture.

"Learning all these new skills that I wouldn't have if I had a typical internship has made me realize that I love being able to do a variety of tasks," Sandry said. "In my future career, I will be able to sit at a desk and put together an estimate or floor plan, but I will also be able to pick up a hammer or paint brush and do the work as well. I can be that person that can take on many different roles and fill the gaps where I'm needed, and I love that."

The four-day a week, 10-hour a day job in Wyoming also allowed her to see a good portion of Wyoming, a perk for a summer that initially seemed to be going sideways.

Sandry visited Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons, took a day trip with her grandmother to Old Faithful, and another day trip with her aunt taking Beartooth Pass through the Beartooth Mountains and stopping in the Montana cities of Cooke City and Red Lodge.

"When I drove through the national parks, I had the hardest time keep my eyes on the road because I wanted to look at everything but the road," Sandry said. "It was weird because the last time I went to Yellowstone, I was 12-years-old so I got to just look at everything and worry about nothing. Navigating the narrow roads while also taking in all the views was quite the challenge but so worth it."

While at Old Faithful, Sandry became part of a story she was thrilled to tell.

"A couple from Idaho asked me to take a picture of them, standing in front of Old Faithful," Sandry said.  "The next thing I knew, the guy came up to me and quietly asked me to record the next part.  Before I knew it, he got down on one knee and proposed to his girlfriend right there. It was crazy. That was the first proposal I've ever been a part of and it was so cool." 

For the trip home, Sandry's best friend flew out to Wyoming and Sandry was able to give her a two-day tour of the area before taking the 13-hour trip back to Minnesota. 

Because of the Interior Design and Construction double major, Sandry will need six years to finish school and that also proved to be a blessing. Part of the tennis season was canceled last spring due to the pandemic and tennis players (tennis is an NCAA spring sport championship) were granted another year of eligibility by the NCAA and Sandry plans on taking advantage of the extra year. When the fall sport championships were canceled by the WIAC, the conference tennis season was moved to the spring. Last season, Sandry played mostly at No. 1 singles and at No. 2 doubles with Kylie Rennie. Sandry will become the first UW-Stout women's tennis player in school history to play five complete seasons.

"I was already planning on sticking around with the team after my senior year as a student assistant coach or something along those lines," Sandry said. "That was something that I had already been talking to coach (Bryce Supri) about.  This summer during one of our weekly team zoom calls, coach told us the news that we all would be getting a year of eligibility back. It was such a crazy feeling because I knew I wasn't done being a part of the Stout tennis team but I didn't realize that I wasn't going to be on the sideline watching but instead would be getting another chance to play in a Blue Devil uniform one last time."