What made you decide to become a designer?
I am a designer entirely by accident – I did not know I was going to be one until 2 days before architecture school. But now that I am one, I enjoy everything that I do. I think I got lucky in finding this career because I love the work I do. I enjoy working with people that I work with, my co-workers or clients. I just enjoy working with people. It’s been a real pleasure, and I am very lucky for that.
What inspires you?
I think the ability to help people and contribute positively to supporting communities to make sure people have spaces to live, work, relax and enjoy is what keeps me motivated and that keeps me enjoying the things that I do. That enjoyment is my inspiration.
What is your favorite building or space and why?
I don’t think I can identify a favorite building, but I do have a current favorite space, which is the MIT chapel. I think it’s so calming and relaxing throughout. It grounds you through its natural materials, makes you see things through a different perspective and makes you think about life. I really enjoy spending time in there.
What’s the coolest thing you’ve done at STA so far?
I think one of the coolest things I’ve done at STA has been the Greentown project in Houston. We converted a massive grocery store into this space for technology incubation and for startups to come together. Its a space for innovative and creative minds to collaborate and solve problems. That itself is really cool, and the fact that this came about from a grocery store, I think made it extra cool.
What is one song you know, every single word, to?
Black by Pearl Jam
What’s the best place you’ve ever visited?
I mainly say this because it is one of the most recent places I’ve visited, and it made me consider moving there- and that would be Bellingham, WA. I was there for a very short trip, but I felt like I was a part of nature, in the middle of mountains, lakes and beaches.
If you could have dinner with anyone from history, who would it be?
This is someone who not a lot of people would know or would be aware of, but it’s a French gentleman called Arsene Wenger. He was the manager of my favorite soccer club for 22 years and I consider him my role model. He saw the sport as a philosophy for life. And I try to practice following his ideologies as much as possible.
What advice would you give yourself, your teenage self?
Don’t worry, too much. Life and things work out in the end or in the words of Jeff Goldblum, “Life, finds a way”. So don’t don’t take anything too seriously and just enjoy things as they come.
What’s a trip that changed you and why?
I would have to say my trip to Iran, and that’s because it made me realize that our perception of the world has been shaped so much by what we see in the media and not based on how we actually interact with the people. When I was going to Iran, I was extremely skeptical. We have all seen the negative images of Iran, but after going there and meeting the people, interacting with them and getting to know them, I absolutely loved my stay there. It made me realize that we need to have some more perspective and see people as they are, and not what we see them as in the media which is usually just one side of one person’s perspective. So it was nice to get a first hand experience of a different culture which has been so poorly represented in popular media. That helped me obtain a much better understanding of the world and open my eyes to new cultures.
What’s something you’ve done but will never want to do it again?
There’s nothing that I would not want to do again. I love taking risks. I honestly don’t know… everything I’ve done, I would be up for doing it again. That said, I have eaten a lot of things that I would not want to eat again. Kale is definitely on the top of the list of things I would not eat again.
