America’s Hidden Gem (TM)

Hi readers! It’s #FutureArchitectFriday. A day to celebrate those pushing themselves to becoming licensed architects.

Name:

Feyi Quadri

 

Hometown:

Bowie, MD

 

Educational Status:

Carnegie Mellon University, B.Arch ’16

 

How would you describe your experience as a Black Architecture student?

I was one of four black students in my class. At the time I thought that was good representation, but I didn’t realize that my incoming class had more black students in our year than the years above us combined. That’s when the culture shock kicked in. As a student it took a while for me to grasp the abstract/theory based structure of my program, especially since I came from a technical background. Throughout the years I was able to use my experiences and passions outside of architecture to fine tune my design process and present my projects to my professors and to faculty effectively. My time in undergrad has made me a confident designer in the workforce today.

Why do you want to get your license?

Getting my license was never an option for me. It’s a necessary stepping stone for me to be in control of my career path and impact my community at a greater capacity. 

 

Biggest inspiration/influence?

My biggest influence is my mom. She never turned me away from pursuing any of my creative endeavors. Even when I would get too immersed in one pursuit she would always find a way to keep me focused on the big picture and I know that I am a better creative because of her.

How important is representation?

I wasn’t exposed to the world of architecture as a career until high school. I didn’t have any black female architecture mentors until my 3rd year in college. If I had met professionals who looked like me earlier on in my academic career I know I would have had a better grasp of what my college and career experience would look like. I am so thankful for all of the mentors and architects that have paved that way for me to be here today and I wouldn’t trade any of the experiences that I’ve had because it has made me more passionate about representation in our field. I want to be the representation in the industry that I didn’t have when I was younger.  

Favorite quote/poem/song/etc.?

“You can’t use up creativity. The more you use, the more you have.” — Maya Angelou