{"id":28791,"date":"2024-03-03T13:14:56","date_gmt":"2024-03-03T13:14:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.challengedetroit.org\/?post_type=blogpost&p=28791"},"modified":"2024-03-03T13:14:56","modified_gmt":"2024-03-03T13:14:56","slug":"women-in-architecture-032023","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/women-in-architecture-032023\/","title":{"rendered":"Women in Architecture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our alumni and Fellows are making an impact across various sectors and communities. One sector where they are driving change is architecture. According to the <\/span>American Institute of Architects (<\/span>AIA), over 70% of registered architects identify as male, making architecture a male-dominated field. At Challenge Detroit, over the last 14 years, most of our applicants with an architecture background have identified as women, and of 34<\/span> total Fellows with architecture backgrounds, 28 <\/span>have been women\u2014that\u2019s over 80%! We are so grateful to be in partnership with our host company employers\u2014especially Quinn Evans, Mosher Dolan, Kingscott Associates and SmithGroup who have hosted multiple architecture Fellows\u2014in playing a part in supporting women with architecture opportunities to grow in their careers. While some alumna have taken multi-disciplinary career steps utilizing their architecture skill sets, many have continued their careers in prominent and exciting architecture roles.<\/span><\/p>\n

In honor<\/span> of Women\u2019s History Month, we are excited to share more about the 25 women who have joined us as Fellows with architecture degrees and\/or work experience in the industry. <\/span>Meet them below and read what some have to say about how their time as Challenge Detroit Fellows influenced their work in architecture.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Mosope Ismail<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2021-2022 Fellow at SmithGroup, Currently working at SmithGroup
\nPenn State University<\/p>\n

“Architecture is highly subjective to an individual\u2019s perspective. An individual\u2019s perspective is shaped by their respective life experiences and values. Challenge Detroit exposed me to the values, history, and roots of the city of Detroit. In turn I am inspired to design intentionally and purposefully with the essence of the city in mind.”<\/p>\n

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Rachel Pisano<\/span><\/span>
\n<\/strong>2018-2019 Fellow at Quinn Evans, Currently working at Quinn Evans
\nUniversity of Detroit Mercy<\/p>\n

“The experiences I had with Challenge Detroit, especially participating in the design thinking process, opened me up to new ways of approaching design. Unlike many of my university projects, Challenge Detroit had a huge emphasis on participation with the end user. Experiencing that process helps me center this approach in the design work I do at my job today as well as in other aspects of my life. I will never start another project again without asking \u201cwho does this impact and are they here?”<\/span><\/p>\n

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Claire Antrassian<\/span><\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2018-2019 Fellow at Quinn Evans, Currently working at Quinn Evans
\nUniversity of Detroit Mercy<\/p>\n

“Challenge Detroit helped me develop a more critical view on the ways in which we design.<\/span> Through my Challenge Detroit experience I learned that good design is not something that is linear but cyclical.<\/span> I learned that through a design process that includes empathy, communication, inclusive ideation, and iterative problem solving, we can create good design that is sustainable.”<\/span><\/p>\n

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Lauren Strauss<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2016-2017 Fellow at Quinn Evans, Currently working at Quinn Evans
\nUniversity of Minnesota, University of Oregon<\/p>\n

“I am fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with Challenge Detroit and grow as a designer. By working on design projects with peers of all different backgrounds and careers, I was able to understand more about the different ways of addressing a project and (how to) come up with thoughtful solutions together.”<\/span><\/p>\n

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Julia Kowalski<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2016-2017 Fellow at DCDC, Currently working at DCDC
\nUniversity of Detroit Mercy<\/p>\n

“During my time as a Fellow, it was common to work on design-related projects with other amazing Fellows who oftentimes did not have a design background. This was an opportunity to figure out how to grow together with a difference of expertise. The projects became twofold: how do we design the process + the product so all voices can equitably contribute. Today, I work to coordinate a variety of voices of community stakeholders acting as a translator and vector of ideas through the community engagement process that we engage in at the DCDC.”<\/span><\/p>\n

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Elizabeth Henson (Grabowski)<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2015-2016 Fellow at Mosher Dolan\/WaitTime, Currently working at WaitTime
\nUniversity of Detroit Mercy, Wayne State University<\/p>\n

“I was at the right place at the right time with the right skill sets to help build a tech startup called WaitTime that grew from my fellowship host company, Mosher Dolan. Challenge Detroit (CD) allowed me to expand my skill sets beyond a traditional architectural firm in a more entrepreneurial capacity. As Design Strategy and Innovation Director, I have helped grow the business from scratch to provide sophisticated crowd analytics to global brands. CD exposed me to a networking platform that enabled my growth as an entrepreneurial designer plus access to creative projects and people.”<\/span><\/p>\n

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Samantha “Sami” Szeszulski
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/span>2013-2014 Fellow at Saroki Architecture, Currently working at Kingscott Associates
\nLawrence Technological University, University of Detroit Mercy<\/p>\n

“Participating in Challenge Detroit helped me to quickly solidify the type of architectural projects and clients I wanted in my career. I’m passionate about projects and people that have a significant positive impact, that improve lives, and strengthen communities. This was reflected through the opportunity to work with some outstanding and impactful non-profit challenge partners; and now in my position at Kingscott Associates, it’s reflected in the dedication to creating spaces that will be loved and cherished by the community.”<\/span><\/p>\n

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Rachel Kowalczyk<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2025-2026 Fellow at SmithGroup
\nLawrence Technological University<\/p>\n

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Shruti Nahar<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2025-2026 Fellow at Spalding DeDecker
\nUniversity of Mumbai, Michigan State University<\/p>\n

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Romica Singh<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2025-2026 Fellow at Kingscott Associates
\nLawrence Technological University<\/p>\n

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Claudia Flores Berumen<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2024-2025 Fellow at Mosher Dolan
\nIllinois Institute of Technology<\/p>\n

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Dana Anderson<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2024-2025 Fellow at Kingscott Associates
\nUniversity of Detroit Mercy<\/p>\n

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Zahra Basha<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2024-2025 Fellow at Kingscott Associates
\nUniversity of Michigan<\/p>\n

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Raquel Santos<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2023-2024 Fellow at Mosher Dolan
\nUnivale, University of Buenos Aires<\/p>\n

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Sumer Hazime<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2023-2024 Fellow at Quinn Evans
\nUniversity of Detroit Mercy<\/p>\n

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Haley Beverlin<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2022-2023 Fellow at SmithGroup
\nUniversity of Michigan<\/p>\n

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Diamonique Thomas<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2022-2023 Fellow at Quinn Evans
\nLawrence Technological University<\/p>\n

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Serena Brewer<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2022-2023 Fellow at Detroit Land Bank Authority
\nThe Ohio State University, University of Michigan<\/p>\n

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Talia Greenberg<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2022-2023 Fellow at Quinn Evans
\nCornell University<\/p>\n

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Kaitlyn Miklovich <\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2019-2020 Fellow at Mosher Dolan
\nCurrently working at Spicer Group Inc.
\nUniversity of Detroit Mercy<\/p>\n

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Carmen Gibes<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2019-2020 Fellow at Mosher Dolan
\nCurrently working at WaitTime
\nLawrence Technological University<\/p>\n

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Miranda Day<\/span>
\n<\/strong><\/span>2016-2017 Fellow at EcoWorks
\n<\/span>Currently working at Rocket Mortgage
\n<\/span>University of Detroit Mercy<\/p>\n

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Andrea (Stegeman) Fowler<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2016-2017 Fellow at Mosher Dolan
\nCurrently working at FGM Architects
\nSouthern Illinois University, University of Nebraska<\/p>\n

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Liz Stanfel<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2016-2017 Fellow at Rosetti
\nCurrently working at AECOM
\nRice University, Northwestern University<\/p>\n

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Natalie Punzak <\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2016-2017 Fellow at Hamilton Anderson Associates
\nCurrently studying at University of Michigan Law
\nYale University<\/p>\n

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Nicole Justian <\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2016-2017 Fellow at Mosher Dolan
\nCurrently working at Heller & Associates
\nKendall College of Art & Design, New York University<\/p>\n

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Ann Phillips<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2014-2015 Fellow at Saroki Architecture
\nCurrently working at National Trust for Historic Preservation
\nUniversity of Oregon<\/p>\n

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Corissa Leveille<\/span><\/strong><\/span>
\n2013-2014 Fellow at Eight Mile Boulevard Association
\nCurrently working at Amy Baker Architect
\nUniversity of Detroit Mercy<\/p>\n

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If you are interested in becoming a Fellow, click here to learn more<\/a><\/span>\u00a0or email us at info@challengedetroit.org.<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are interested in hosting a Fellow, please email Deirdre at dgroves@challengedetroit.org<\/a><\/span><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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This blog feature was originally published March 17, 2023. This was updated March 3, 2024 to include the 2023-2024 Fellows, September 30, 2024 to include the 2024-2025 Fellows, and May 12, 2026 to include the 2025-2026 Fellows.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

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Our alumni and Fellows are making an impact across various sectors and communities. One sector where they are driving change is architecture. According to the American Institute of Architects (AIA), over 70% of registered architects identify as male, making architecture a male-dominated field. At Challenge Detroit, over the last 14 years, most of our applicants […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":28734,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,18,20],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28791","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-leaddetroit","category-workdetroit","category-alumni-spotlight"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28791","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/70"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=28791"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/28791\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/28734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=28791"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=28791"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/challengedetroit.builtrare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=28791"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}