In just a few sentences, please tell us about your current work.
I am currently a Master of Architecture I candidate at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. Before coming to the GSD, I took three years and worked at Ecosistema Urbano, an urban design and architecture studio in Madrid. There I designed and strategized ways for the company to expand its reach to the US, and managed competition and public tenders processes.
How did your time at Tufts influence your career journey?
My time at Tufts led me to architecture and ultimately caused me to fall in love with it. The most valuable part of my experience in the Architectural Studies program was without a doubt the relationships I had the opportunity to forge with professors Diana Martinez and Matt Okazaki, who continue to be my mentors to this day. They were diligent in encouraging us students to start preparing for grad school early by continuously updating our projects and developing our portfolios.
Furthermore, the program and their instruction pushed me to think about architecture as part of a larger system, whereby the built environment’s effects reverberate throughout various industries, communities, etc. This idea was also integral to my work at Ecosistema Urbano, which emphasizes architecture’s intersection between different disciplines and direct link to society and the environment.
Now I have returned to school with a strong belief that architecture is an art and act of problem solving; one that, when paired with collaboration and a consciousness of the world around us, can have lasting positive effects.
What advice would you offer to a student who wants to pursue a career path like yours?
Go for it! I moved to Madrid without knowing a soul and found my job through cold emailing studios. It requires persistence and proactivity, but if you are clear that it’s the path for you, it is 100% worth it.
Maintain your relationships with the professors and students you meet at Tufts – check in about your professional progress and any new projects you’ve been involved in. Your professors will be so happy to hear from you.
Start early. If you are making a portfolio, rather than updating projects individually, get into Indesign from the get-go so that you can start to make sense of the story you’re telling through your work.
