This year, the National Organization of Minority Architects established a chapter here in Utah. Part of NOMA’s mission is to foster justice and equity in communities of color through outreach, community advocacy, professional development and design excellence. In partnership with NOMA Utah, I collaborated on a project aimed at supporting and highlighting underrepresented communities in the Design and Construction Industry.

I spent a day at Glendale Middle School teaching an Introduction to Architecture class as part of the Project Pipeline Program. This week-long summer program guided students through the major stages of design using thought-provoking exercises to foster creativity and critical thinking.

Glendale Middle School's demographics:

• 95% of students qualify for free lunch
• 67% of students identify as Hispanic
• 19% of students identify as Asian Pacific Islander

The Glendale Middle School students are bright, eager, and charismatic people that will have an incredible impact on the future! It was a great experience to be around such curious and witty future designers.