I have always been passionate about inclusive and universal design, believing that spaces and experiences should be accessible to all. Throughout my career, I have actively championed these values by founding and co-chairing a DEI committee, developing resources within my firms, initiating outreach within the communities and clients I’ve served, and advocating for greater inclusivity in design and beyond. My work is driven by a commitment to creating environments that foster equity, representation, and meaningful access for everyone.

ASPECTSS Presentation

I was able to introduce ASPECTSS to my firm as I had studied it in college for a project. I have used it as a basis for design decisions throughout my career and wanted to share these guiding principles with my coworkers so they could use this as a tool to speak with clients and to work with internally.

Islands of Brilliance Guest Speaker

In 2023 we were able to have a guest speaker come in from an organization in Milwaukee called Islands of Brilliance. They shed some light on their experiences and the things we could do to help as professionals in the field of design and architecture.

EVENTS ORGANIZED

  • Multi-cultural potluck: Everyone who wanted to participate signed up to bring a dish from their culture and give the backstory on it. This was a fun way to get to know everyone in the office and celebrate our differences and similarities. The third year doing this, we switched it up and had a list of countries to choose from that someone might not belong to that they could choose to make a dish from that country. They could also do their own culture, but it encouraged people to branch out and explore cultures outside of our own!
  • Initiated a student engagement exercise for a couple of projects, working with a group of students chosen by the district to be introduced to design and architecture and asked to participate in providing feedback on design direction and input.
  • Organized a visit to the Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee during Black History Month after work. The goal of this event was to grow a better understanding of the history and challenges that the communities we are designing for have faced, so we can be more inclusive and sensitive to those lived experiences.
  • Facilitated a Rainbow Runway every year in June for Pride Month. Everyone was encouraged to dress in their favorite color(s) and/or the rainbow. We all got together during the lunch hour to take a picture and share some treats!