Fallon Marie Barrett is from Houston, TX. She holds a B. A. in English Language Arts from Texas State University, a B.S. in Environmental Design and a Bachelor of Architecture from the University of Houston. She received her Master of Architecture from Lawrence Technological University in 2021. She began her career as a Designer with Kustommade Properties, designing single family homes moving on to work as an Architectural Designer at PLACE Designers Inc., where she did work in single and multi-family residential design, retail, and Luxury Condos. She is currently an Assistant Project Manager for the City of Houston’s Construction and Design Division Minor Projects In-House Design, where she continues to develop her skills in Project Management and design. For fourteen years Fallon was a stay-at-home mother but was a very active educational advocate for her children and children in their community. Fallon is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the AIA Houston Chapter Chair-Elect of the Kids + Architecture Committee, Houston NOMA Chapter’s Secretary, President of the Jack Yates PTO, and a member of the TxA Educational Outreach Committee Chair Elect. Because of Fallon’s love for community involvement and architecture, she also volunteers with the International Design Clinic.
Gabriella Doe is a second-year student attending the University of Notre Dame, where she is pursuing a major in Architecture and minor in Latino Studies. She is from Fort Worth, Texas, and takes great pride in her African American and Panamanian heritages. Growing up, Gabriella’s fascination with drawing and historic buildings that represented her cultural background, eventually translated to her interest in architecture. In high school, she participated in art and architecture competitions, winning several state-level awards for her large-scale architectural sketches. At the University of Notre Dame, Gabriella writes for STOA, the student-run architectural magazine, where she has interviewed architectural entrepreneurs throughout the United States via Zoom. During the summer of 2023, she worked as an unpaid intern teaching English, Spanish, and art classes at Sifais, a social work organization in La Carpio, Costa Rica. While at Notre Dame, Gabriella aims to combine her cultural identity with architecture to explore the social impacts of colonial architecture in Latin America and West Africa. Gabriella is grateful to God for providing her with such artistic abilities, and for the support from her family. Upon completing her degree, Gabriella intends to create affordable, environmentally-friendly, yet culturally conscious, community and residential architecture
Michelle Ovanessians, an Armenian American Architectural Designer, yields a careful response of expression in her projects, emphasizing beliefs and specificities of the population that might not have been considered before. Cultivated through her upbringing in Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, and the United States, this exposure to vast lifestyles drives her sense of design where she strives meticulously to integrate site-specific stories, both essential and transformative, to provide awareness of social and cultural perspectives. She is a recent graduate of the UH Gerald D. Hines School of Architecture, who garnered an array of accolades during her undergraduate journey. Her remarkable achievements include the 2023 AIA Houston Design Awards as a two-time winner, where her work was celebrated amongst professionals as the only student winner for her project titled, ‘Nuke Town’ and her drawings were noted as innovative to the architectural profession. She is a Top 100 Finalist in the prestigious 2022 ‘One Drawing Challenge,’ for her project ‘A Bosnian Folktale’, showcasing her ability to portray diverse narratives in her creations. ‘Folktale’ was also featured as a semifinalist in the New York City Architecture Biennial and the DCA Drawing Exhibition. Her project titled ‘Homecoming’ was awarded both the 2022 AIA Houston Design Award and 2021 AIA Fort Worth Excellence in Architecture Student Design Awards. She demonstrates aspects such as storytelling through intentionally evocative graphic images most recently in her thesis on the Armenian Genocide, rituals and how we memorialize – “Criticism of Monuments and Memorials Towards a New Methodology.” She intends to continue to employ architecture in her quest to express experience as a vehicle to empower underrepresented voices.
Julie Trinh, AIA, NOMA, NCARB, is an architect for executive architecture firm, House & Robertson Architects, where she sustains fluency in a variety of languages: that of the designer, the engineer, the builder, and the client. These vast perspectives coincide with her determination to advocate for a more equitable, diverse, and inclusive setting in both the built environment and the workplace. Julie demonstrates leadership in her role as a Chair to the AIA Houston Chapter’s Women in Architecture: Equity Series and Women of Color Steering Committee, and consistently extends opportunities to collaborate with missions established by organizations such as NOMA and the AIAH JE:DI Collective. She also facilitates conversations as a moderator for the Women Architects’ Collective forum and serves on the NCARB committee for development of the Architect Registration Examination (ARE) with the intent to reduce barriers to candidate licensure. Outside of architecture, Julie is an alumni of The University of Texas at Austin, a Terry Foundation Scholar, and Gates Millennium Scholar. She is often sighted reading non-fiction, rubbing her rescue corgi’s belly, or folding an endless pile of laundry.
Teri Watson is an Architectural Designer and Project Manager practicing in Miami, Florida. She received her Master’s in Architecture from Florida International University as well as a Bachelor of Science Degree in Architectural Studies from Florida A&M University.
For the past seven years, she has played the role of Project Manager and Architectural Designer for high-end commercial and residential projects. Since 2016, Teri has gained direct experience with construction documents and project approval processes with various firms throughout Miami. She is also the owner of YEN STUDIO. Teri is a member of AIA Miami, South Florida NOMA, and the founder of The Neighborhood Architects.
My name is Nicholas White, and I was born and raised in Denton, TX to Tommy and Bonita White. From a young age I always had a love for drawing and often took art classes so that I could learn new ways to draw. It was not until high school that I discovered drafting and I knew then and there that I wanted to be an architect. I took a drafting class where we prepared drawings for statewide competitions.
My passion for architecture led me to the University of Oklahoma where I made Architecture my major. While attending the University of Oklahoma I interned at Architects and Roofing Consultants where I was tasked with helping prepare construction documents, travel on site visits and coordinate with outside consultants on project matters.
Upon completing my degree in 2010, I remained at ARC full-time for two more years. I later took a job with REES Associates, and I remained with REES until 2017 when I left to join Benham. It is here that I have gained experience doing various types of government work.
I am married to my beautiful and smart wife, Sonja and we have two children and reside in Yukon, OK.
Courtney Prentiss is an emerging professional on the path to architectural licensure with an affinity for complex project coordination and team management. She sees architecture as a means of making solutions tangible and finds success in the process of turning two-dimensional documents into four-dimensional experiences. An avid problem-solver, Courtney finds innovative ways to create moments of meaning and opportunity in the spaces she designs.
Courtney has a bachelor’s degree in Mathematics from the University of Chicago and two master’s degrees in Architecture and Construction Management from Washington University in St. Louis. She served on the inaugural executive board for Washington University’s AIAS chapter and has since been involved in AIA at the local, regional, and national levels. She has been equally as involved in NOMA, currently volunteering on the policy outreach committee within the BosNOMA chapter. Courtney is passionate about turning plans into action, especially involving the betterment of her communities or pushing the industry forward.
Currently based in Boston, Courtney is a Project Coordinator at Moody Nolan. She finds it essential to work in an environment of diverse backgrounds, interests, geographies, and market pursuits. Within the company, she focuses on major corporate, hospitality, and retail/mixed-use projects.
Asmau Edes Ikhuoria is an Emerging Professional and LEED Green Associate at Kirksey Architecture, Houston Texas.
With five years of experience in the Texas AEC industry, she also holds a Bachelors in Architecture, a Masters in Architecture from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria and a Masters in Construction Management from the University of Houston, Texas.
Some of her career defining moments include working as an Architectural Designer and Assistant Project Manager for a developer + construction company and later on, at multi-disciplinary engineering firm in Houston, Texas. Her work experience ranges from project design development and documentation, managing building review and permit applications, managing co-ordination with consultants and GCs, contract preparation, RFQ preparation, to subcontractor co-ordination and bidding.
She has to her credit, academically published papers notably, “Exploring the Use of Marker-based Augmented Reality for Design Communication in Electrical Communications”, done as a researcher at the Construction Management Department, University of Houston.
Rachel Wiggins graduated from Mirabeau Lamar High School in Houston, TX and will be attending the University of Southern California this fall. Her passion for art ranges in various forms, from jewelry making to painting to makeup. She hopes to use this passion for art and her upcoming architectures courses at USC to design and build sustainable low-income housing to provide affordable yet eco-friendly housing options.
Geremiah Tallas is a first-year architecture student at San Antonio College on the path to transfer to Cornell University. Prior to his architectural endeavors, he served in the U.S. Army for five years as a combat medic. Although he considers his experience in the army little to do with architecture, it shifted his perspective to see the world through a multicultural lens. It allowed him to experience the importance of diversity and sharing his Native American heritage. He wishes to bring this understanding into his own approach of architecture.
Geremiah’s scholarship is supported by Safdie Architects.
Olivia Salinas is a rising freshman at the University of Houston. She attended Construction Careers Academy, a local magnet high school where she studied architecture for four years. She earned her NCCER and OSHA 10-Hour certification, served as a lead architect on the construction of a tiny home entitled “The New Yorker”; participated in a water conservation project held by the San Antonio Water Systems; and designed different community buildings in the Architecture, Construction, and Engineering (ACE) Mentorship Program. She acted as the Principal’s Cabinet Secretary, Mathematics Honor Society Vice President, National Honor Society Vice President, and other prestigious titles. Her dedication to her career goals and educational endeavors were showcased when she graduated as the valedictorian of her class.
Taylor E. Pinkney is a 2021 graduate of Prosper High School in Prosper, Texas. Taylor interned for two summers with an interior design firm, served as a worship leader in children’s ministry at her church, and founded a home décor business during the earlier months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taylor’s passion for architecture and interior design began at an early age, as she has always enjoyed touring model homes and local buildings. “A diverse community of people in the architecture field enhance the profession by placing a spotlight on unique ideas, encouraging promotion in the field, and complementing businesses,” she says. Taylor will pursue a Bachelor of Architecture at the University of Houston and plans to use her inventiveness to serve and unify communities.
Justine Do is a dedicated and award-winning student with a passion for art, STEM, and architecture. She is a rising freshman who will be studying architecture at the University of Texas at Austin in fall of 2019. Justine has exhausted every AP art course available and is experienced with a multitude of mediums including, but not limited to, watercolor, graphite, ink, and digital illustration. She’s the founder and president of the Vandegrift High School Visual Arts Club and is licensed in both Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator.
Growing up with a love for visual arts, science, and math led Justine to develop a fascination with architecture, which was reinforced by a week-long internship at Mode Design Co. She hopes to eventually earn a masters degree in architecture, become licensed, and start her own firm in the future.
Genesis Gadberry graduated with a Bachelor of Architecture degree from The University of Texas at Austin and has begun to practice in the field of architecture at a professional level. A believer in greatness from small beginnings, she is a first generation Asian American woman who was born and raised in a small town in West Texas. Throughout her time at school, she developed her love for design and a passion to shape the built environment to go beyond aesthetics to create strong communities for diverse groups of people. Her work experience includes residential, commercial, civic, and educational projects at a variety of scales. In her free time, she loves to watch the latest Netflix show and spend time exploring the outdoors with her dog.