The Home Depot
Grand Island, NE

At age 21, when many young people are still dreaming about their prospective careers, Mickayla Sheets is already four years into hers. She also purchased a home with her fiancé, Javier, in 2020 and they got married on Sept. 17, 2022. The trajectory Mickayla has forged—rising through the ranks at Home Depot from customer service employee to supervisor to full-time kitchen and bath designer at the Grand Island store in Nebraska—has reinforced her belief that her career path was always destined to involve design. “If I could have moved to this position sooner, I would have taken that opportunity and ran with it,” she says, admitting that watching HGTV while growing up fueled her fascination with design and construction.

Mickayla, who studied Architectural Design for one year at Central Community College in Hastings, NE before deciding that exact discipline wasn’t right for her, appreciates that her real-world experience has made her eager to continue her education and expand her knowledge across the board. In addition to working as a kitchen and bath designer for most of 2022, she and Javier have been remodeling their 1930s-era home, including a full bathroom renovation. “Knowing what to do is one thing, but actually doing it is a whole other thing,” she says. “It’s not easy making your dreams come true and we have definitely made strides, but it didn’t come easy.”

“Making a great focal point or adding in features that make a space feel grander is what I strive in every design. Whether it be a decorative hood as the main focal point or adding different depths in a kitchen with crown molding, I make a kitchen grand.”

What does Mickayla, who describes herself as “passionate,” strive for in her designs? She loves a kitchen that feels grand. “Making a great focal point or adding in features that make a space feel grander is what I strive in every design,” she explains. “Whether it be a decorative hood as the main focal point or adding different depths in a kitchen with crown molding, I make a kitchen grand.”

Her own personal design choices for her family home include plans for a living room with a “farmhouse country feel”—which aligns with the couple’s love of animals. They currently have four cats (Shilo, Polka, Taco and Kam) and two German Shepherds (Odis and Aura). On Mickayla’s must-do list: maintaining a comfortable lifestyle and traveling as much as possible with her husband and their future kids.