I have always been surrounded by supportive family, friends, and teachers, but I don't know if I would have pursued architecture were it not for my dad. As I drew house plans on the living room floor when I was in third grade, he opened my eyes to the possibility of taking my passion further and becoming an architect. He gave me that gentle push to get the appropriate education. His support and encouragement kept me focused and got me through those tough college years. 

I pursued architecture because I was interested in providing places for people to live. We spend a lot of time in our homes and they need to feel comfortable, flow well, and work to benefit a resident's life. Residential architecture has always been my passion, and now that I design primarily in the multifamily industry, "home" essentially starts as soon as you enter the site. So how you access the site, where you park, how far you have to walk to get to your unit—all of that makes an impact. 

My experience as a young professional was that the seasoned male leaders seemed to have all the answers and confidence in all aspects of the field. However, as I've been in the industry for 20+ years, I understand now that they have the same insecurities, doubts, and questions that plague all of us, so my advice is not to be intimidated. Experience does matter, but all our voices and ideas matter, too. We are all just trying to make a positive contribution to our profession, so be authentic, speak up, ask questions, be honest with yourself about what you want out of your career, and then go for it. Staying focused on those goals and keeping a positive outlook propelled me to get where I am today.