AIA Virginia’s award-winning Emerging Leaders in Architecture (ELA) program was developed in 2009 to jump-start the careers of young professionals. Conceived of and lead by a passionate steering committee of successful architects (ALL past ELA alumni!), the program was designed to share the things they wished they had learned in architecture school.
Each of the seven day-long sessions focuses on developing essential skills like community engagement, collaboration, firm creation, financial management, advocacy, public service, and much more. The remaining monthly sessions are dedicated to their class project from a region around the commonwealth.
Want to be a member of this elite group of leaders? The application for the 2025 class will be available in August. Contact Cathy Guske for information on how to nominate an emerging leader or with any questions about the program.
We asked members of the ELA class of 2024 the same five questions. Get to know them better by seeing their inspiring answers.
KJ Ammon, Assoc. AIA
What building evoked a strong reaction from you recently—either positive or negative?
Growing up in New England, I’ve had a lot of exposure to the Boston City Hall, and I have disliked it since a young age. The building is an example of 1960s brutalist architecture which comes off as overbearing and aggressive due to its concrete material, large cantilevers, and lack of nature within the plaza.
What is the last book you read?
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
How did you discover your passion for architecture?
I’ve been interested in architecture from a young age. What started as an obsession with HGTV has turned into spending my days creating and designing. I love to build with my hands and explore how objects and the built environment impact our lives every day.
What is your favorite thing to do to relax?
My favorite activity to relax is to get outside and read a good book.
What advice do you have for aspiring architects?
My advice to any designer is to lean into your passions, the field of architecture can require long hours and lots of work so it’s important to remember the aspects that inspired you to become a designer in the first place.
Philip Baxter, Assoc. AIA
What building evoked a strong reaction from you recently—either positive or negative?
What evoked a very strong reaction from me recently was the April ELA session regarding Community Engagement. Bruce Wardell’s story and his three-year journey of building trust and shifting the power in the hands of the residents of Southwood. It changed the way I viewed how impactful community engagement could be.
What is the last book you read?
Missing Middle Housing by Daniel Parolek
How did you discover your passion for architecture?
I rediscovered my passion for architecture in the ELA program by being exposed to so many different pieces of architecture and truly redefined what architecture could be to me.
What is your favorite thing to do to relax?
My favorite thing to relax is a good story.
What advice do you have for aspiring architects?
As architects we’re charged with health, safety, and welfare in city planning, so, people first always. Always give back. Architecture is a form of activism and education.
Zack Britton, Assoc. AIA
What building evoked a strong reaction from you recently—either positive or negative?
I have long had a fascination with the role an architect can play into the design of a cemetery. This led me to revisit the Belvedere Gardens Mausoleum In Salem a few years back. I love the interplay between the site and the structure.
What is the last book you read?
The Soul of a Tree by George Nakashima
How did you discover your passion for architecture?
In a way, it was something that was passed down from my dad. He studied architecture in college so from a young age I was introduced to books of Frank Lloyd Wright’s work, drafting tables, and construction sites (in a OSHA approved manner). When it came time to start considering career paths the decision felt like an easy one.
What is your favorite thing to do to relax?
I can easily spend hours woodworking just testing different techniques and joinery.
What advice do you have for aspiring architects?
Sometimes this job gets overwhelming. Do not allow yourself to be paralyzed from the fear of making mistakes. Just keep trying to learn and progress.
Danielle Corbin, Assoc. AIA
What building evoked a strong reaction from you recently—either positive or negative?
When I visited La Basílica de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, I knew that no building had ever evoked such a strong emotional response within me. The use of light, sculpture and color were overwhelming, whether you are present during the cool greens and blues of the morning or the fiery oranges and reds of the evening, representing the passion of Christ. I visited with my mother, who had seen the Basilica before there was an interior. We hope to return once it is finally complete after over 150 years of construction.
What is the last book you read?
I just finished reading The Forest of Vanishing Stars, a historical fiction about the Jews who escaped to the forest as a refuge from the Holocaust. I love the genre of historical fiction because it gives us empathy for those who lived through the horrors of the past, and reminds us so we do not repeat history.
How did you discover your passion for architecture?
I discovered my passion for architecture through my love of drawing, painting and fine art. I chose to attend the University of Notre Dame School of Architecture because of their classical approach and focus on hand-drawing and hand drafting. I spent a summer of my undergraduate studies in Rome plein-air sketching and watercoloring, a practice that I continue to this day.
What is your favorite thing to do to relax?
This may sound counter-intuitive, but my favorite thing to do to relax is to go on a run, preferably on the beach. Running is what allows me to de-stress and refocus, and it gives me an overwhelming sense of peace.
What advice do you have for aspiring architects?
My advice for aspiring architects is to take advantage of the resources available to learn during your architectural education. During my undergraduate experience, I went to Europe four separate times through grants both within and outside the University. My travels to Scotland, Italy, Spain and London were eye-opening and formed the way I view the world as an aspiring architect. Never underestimate the time and energy that the most accomplished professionals will give to students who desire to learn. The incredible people that I met during my travels were so generous with their time; all I had to do was ask.
Miguel Gereda, Assoc. AIA
What building evoked a strong reaction from you recently—either positive or negative?
I was reading a magazine recently and saw imagery of Studio Gang’s Populus Hotel in Denver, CO. The window details and facade have a bone like appearance. It’s a very provocative building, but I am intrigued by how it comes together.
What is the last book you read?
Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz
How did you discover your passion for architecture?
From a very young age, I got obsessed with looking at building plans that I would see in free home books in the grocery store. One day I asked my grandmother, who are the people that draw those? The rest is history.
What is your favorite thing to do to relax?
Be outside! Hiking, walking, or just enjoying the sun–whatever it is this brings me tranquility.
What advice do you have for aspiring architects?
Push yourself to ask more questions and remember that you will make mistakes–just learn from them!
Noor Hadi, Assoc. AIA
What building evoked a strong reaction from you recently—either positive or negative?
Recently, I had to the opportunity to travel to Peshawar, Pakistan where my ancestral roots lie . I visited this beautiful cemetery where my Nani and Nano (grandmothers) are buried. The location of the cemetery is along a busy road, however once inside the area the noise of the city evaporates. The terraced landscape, granite stoned graves ,orchard like greenery and small mausoleums through the cemetery nodded the Mughal and Islamic architecture . Walking through this space, I appreciated how it could hold space for loss and grief, as well as serenity, history, and memories.
What is the last book you read?
Family Tree by Sairish Hussain
How did you discover your passion for architecture?
Growing up always like to design and make things with my hands from chairs to longboards, but I could never put a name to my curiosity. The summer before my first year as an undeclared major, I enrolled in a few architecture classes to acclimate how life on campus would be . Taking those classes and being in an environment of the technical and creative, empowered me to pursue this field.
What is your favorite thing to do to relax?
Sitting outside and drinking a hot cup of chai, listening to nature.
What advice do you have for aspiring architects?
“You’ll never find reasonable people on the top of a mountain” – Jim Basset. Be curious, ask questions and, be open to talk to different people from other disciplines. There isn’t a “right” way to do architecture, the best a person can do is keep learning and use that knowledge to propel them forward in whatever way they would like.
Ananth Jayaraj (AJ), Assoc. AIA
What building evoked a strong reaction from you recently—either positive or negative?
The Vessel at Hudson Yards hasn’t left my mind, it feels like a tenuous step in contemporary architectural practice. Perhaps we may be returning to our tradition as a species in building monuments which bring a sense of grandeur, a physical presence that defies our impermanence and daily cynicisms. On the other hand, the stairs that show how far the city has come does not allow all its denizens access to its greatest heights, but it’s a sad for me to think that we wont see another “great pyramid of Giza” built in our lifetimes. The view from said heights are great, but to be the last is a disturbing thought. It seems “Vessel” will continue to embody these thoughts, as great works do.
What is the last book you read?
Color and Light by James Gurney (A treasure for understanding, well, color and light!)
How did you discover your passion for architecture?
Coming from Dubai does tinge my answer with the flavor of an inescapable destiny, being surrounded by skyscrapers and such, but realizing how the spaces that surround us shape who we were, are and will be was the beginning of this wonderful journey.
What is your favorite thing to do to relax?
I’ve always loved to sketch, it serves as a visual diary to me.
What advice do you have for aspiring architects?
Explore your passions and remember what you like. My favorite experiences in this discipline weren’t when I played to win, but when I played for the love of the game. I hope you share my sentiment!
Tony Lin, Assoc. AIA
What building evoked a strong reaction from you recently—either positive or negative?
Glenstone, in Maryland. One of the most tranquil experiences that so finely integrates nature with art.
What is the last book you read?
Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act: A Way of Being
How did you discover your passion for architecture?
A big influence on me was my older brother, who is an architect and professor. Early on in my life, he told me that architecture was the study of the human condition. I kept his words in mind, and it has helped me to see architecture as artifacts shaped by our communities, cultures, and environments. Furthermore, architecture has been a gateway to seeing “design” as something that is so intrinsically connected to everything else.
What is your favorite thing to do to relax?
Listening to music and going for walks at sunset.
What advice do you have for aspiring architects?
Open your mind, take inspiration from everything, and the path is made by walking.
Brynn McClatchy, AIAS
What building evoked a strong reaction from you recently—either positive or negative?
I just returned from a semester abroad in Europe and often reflect on my experience in the Sala Beckett Theater by Flores & Prats in Barcelona! The work done by the firm was a conversation with the memories and past uses of the building, a collection of its history. I left with a greater appreciation of architecture as a conversation between a building’s past, present, and future, but also a conversation between a building and the individual observations made by all who experience it.
What is the last book you read?
After visiting the Sala Beckett theater I mentioned above, I just finished Archives-Universum 01 on Flores & Prats.
How did you discover your passion for architecture?
I discovered my passion for architecture once I got to college, but my passion for design started back in fourth grade. I decided then that I wanted to become a set designer, and when choosing a major for college, I found that architecture allowed me to explore storytelling and crafting experiences in the same way. Currently, my passion is also driven by my love for model making, hand drawing, and the traveling I have done while at the School of Architecture at Virginia Tech.
What is your favorite thing to do to relax?
Cooking! I enjoy the process from planning to shopping to making to eating to cleaning up.
What advice do you have for aspiring architects?
Your precedents are your best friends. Study them, learn from them, implement them, and don’t forget them!
Shukrullo Mirvaydullaev, Assoc. AIA
Niki Pardakhti, Assoc. AIA
What building evoked a strong reaction from you recently—either positive or negative?
I recently visited Robie House. There are a lot of things I like about Robie house, but what resonated with me the most is the architect’s attention to the design and construction details. Wright not only designed the building, but also every furniture in the house, believing that “it is quite impossible to consider the building one thing and its furnishings another. … They are all mere structural details of its character and completeness.”. You can also see traces of Wright’s design in construction details. From the color of the mortars that is selected in a pattern to the roof drainage system that blends with the design of the house, are all testaments of the architect’s impeccable attention to details.
What is the last book you read?
Missing middle housing.
How did you discover your passion for architecture?
An Architect’s ability to create a physical space initiating from a concept, led me to this field. I was a biology major in college and had never thought about Architecture as my major until I visited a friend in Architecture school. I enjoyed the studio creative environment, and being a spatial thinker, seeing all the school projects my friends were working on was very exciting to me, so I decided to pursue and architecture degree.
What is your favorite thing to do to relax? Read, paint.
What advice do you have for aspiring architects?
Work on your soft skills as well as technical skills. As you grow in your career, it becomes even more important to communicate and work effectively with your clients and teammates.
Amari Ross, AIAS
What building evoked a strong reaction from you recently—either positive or negative?
Dscape Cafe in South Korea by DENOVA Architects. The building envoked a positive reaction with the placement of windows, openings, and even the wall color; it feels like a cafe I’d go to daydream.
What is the last book you read?
Crescent City: House of Earth and Blood
How did you discover your passion for architecture?
I always drew floor plans of my dream home when I was younger. I didn’t think of Architecture until I watched Netflix’s Most Extraordinary Homes which gave me a deeper understanding of the design process.
What is your favorite thing to do to relax?
Throwing ceramics on a pottery wheel, reading, or gaming depending on the day.
What advice do you have for aspiring architects?
It’s you vs you in your college career. Leave yourself room to grow and adapt within college while giving yourself grace. Reward yourself often and enjoy hobbies outside of architecture.
Emily Savoca, AIA
What building evoked a strong reaction from you recently—either positive or negative?
Yad Vashem, Holocaust History Museum in Jerusalem. I don’t think I can adequately put into words how emotional and surreal of an experience it was to visit this place. I traveled with my husband (whose family is Jewish) and 30 other individuals, about half of whom are also Jewish; many with families who have personal connections to the Holocaust. By the time we arrived at Yad Vashem, we had spent over a week together and with our tour guide, a native Israeli. Her first-hand stories and knowledge, combined with the exhibits and the museum’s architecture, made this more moving than any other Holocaust museum or site I’d been to before. There are moments of relief and light throughout the museum that attempt to break up the dark, tense, and challenging exhibits. Once you reach the museum’s end and you exit out onto the terrace, an open-air gallery looks out to the city and the building frames your view of a valley of trees.
What is the last book you read?
I recently finished Michelle Obama’s Becoming
I am currently reading Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming as part of my office sustainability council’s book club.
How did you discover your passion for architecture?
For as long as I can remember, I’ve had strong interests in the arts and technical drawing. I was initially planning on going to college for engineering until my grandfather suggested I look into architecture. Even though he was not an architect himself, he had always had a passion for learning about buildings, architecture, and design. The more I researched the practice and profession, the more I felt it would be a good fit. I love how architecture is not only about the built environment, but also art, history, science, technical expertise, community, society, and so much more. I am also passionate about lifelong learning and love that, as an architect, I am able to learn something new every single day.
What is your favorite thing to do to relax?
Yoga, traveling, or spending time outside and near the water. A combination of all three would be ideal!
What advice do you have for aspiring architects?
First, give yourself plenty of time in the profession to discover what aspects of architecture you are truly passionate about. It is a diverse field with seemingly endless opportunities.
Second, never be afraid to advocate for yourself; your wellbeing, the types of projects you want to work on, and what direction you want to take your career.
Irem Sezer, Assoc. AIA
What building evoked a strong reaction from you recently—either positive or negative?
Central Control Building, Bilgin Architects… Recently, I came across comments and discussions regarding the solar power plant architectural design competition and, of course, the first-place winner, Bilgin Architects. Designing in the middle of nowhere is one of the most challenging situations an architect finds themselves in, but the team managed to create reciprocal dialogues between the earth-sky-ground zero trio and the identity of the building, its function, its oasis, and how it represents itself.
What is the last book you read?
Forget Foucault by Jean Baudrillard
How did you discover your passion for architecture?
After starting architecture school!
What is your favorite thing to do to relax?
Anything connects me to the sea… Including road trips that lead to the sea!
What advice do you have for aspiring architects?
Learning how to ask ‘good’ questions and having the ability to ‘question’ are much more important than they may seem!
Jessica Somgynari, AIA
What building evoked a strong reaction from you recently?
The Bethlehem Steel Stacks in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania evoked both strong positive and negative reactions from me. I enjoy traveling to various industrial sites around the U.S. with my husband to learn more about the history of America’s workforce. I attempt to capture the energy that used to bring these places to life through sketching them. So many of these places that were essential to the rise of America as it is today are in the process of decay. It caused conflicting feelings in me to behold the towering blast furnaces as I read about the dangerous and often life-threatening processes workers encountered every day, encapsulating the metal behemoths in my art. It bothered me how this site was a hub of boisterous camaraderie, then one day in November 1995, the roaring furnaces went completely quiet, and for the last time, Bethlehem Steel workers filed through the plant, not knowing if they’d ever see their coworkers again. While it is a beautiful site, I was frustrated that the site does not seem to be actively preserved, and the docent was unfortunately unable to indicate if any efforts to “arrest decay” were in the works. Overall, I would return to this site, but I hope these buildings are preserved in a more meaningful way in the future.
What is the last book you read?
The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home by Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor. If you are interested in the surreal, action-packed world of the Welcome to NightVale podcast, this book provides an insightful look into one of the most prevalent but underrated characters’ lives, and how she came to be the Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home. A swashbuckling adventure with love, betrayal, and revenge, this is a great novel if you like twists, because it is definitely NOT what you’d expect. Beautifully written – Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor have built an incredible universe with NightVale.
How did you discover your passion for architecture?
I loved art when I was in high school, and wanted to continue this throughout my career. Telling stories through the built environment is such an important aspect of architecture, and it is critical to me that harmony between humans and buildings exists. Well-designed buildings tend to take on the spirit of their inhabitants, and it is fascinating to see the humanity in our environments by how items we use every day are arranged. Whether it is stray papers on a desk, or a slightly skewed chair, placement matters, and buildings should help the people inhabiting them to thrive.
What is your favorite thing to do to relax?
I love hanging out with my husband and three black cats, Night, Luna, and Abba. Aside from that, I relax by reading, dancing in between lifting weights at the gym, making art, hiking/ interacting with nature, and most of all, cooking. I enjoy creating both new and tried and true recipes to share with friends and family, as I believe good food helps bring people together. My favorite recipe is traditional spaghetti carbonara, which I learned to make when I was studying abroad in Rome during my fourth year at Penn State. What advice do you have for aspiring architects? Go to networking events and building tours, be engaged with your work and your community – find the balance so you can enjoy a full life. Maybe it’s an overstated cliché, but seriously: communication is key – learn how to say the same thing in multiple ways, and communicate on the level of your audience (expertise, understanding, etc.). Enjoy the process, keep growing, and ask questions – you can never know everything! Learn to be ok with that and ask for help. You’re good enough, you’re smart enough, and gosh darn it, people like you!