educating, and communicating ideas to people.
But I also found myself staying in hotel rooms
when on vacations with my family, sketching
rather than doing touristy activities.
I think I’ve always had an eye for it, and it really
took some of my family members and friends
to push me in the right direction. Back in high
school, I was doing graphic design for our literary
magazine. So, my expertise in regard to
architecture really stemmed from my passion for
graphic design and doing mainly typographic-type
studies. Then going into Carnegie Mellon was my
main exposure to all the other facets of
architecture.
M.D.M.: You mentioned being involved in the
association. Tell me about your experience with
AIAS.
A.R.: AIAS is really a unique organization
because it helps to bring and complete a
well-rounded education for architecture students.
In school, you really learn the technical and more
tangible aspects of what it means to be an
architect. But AIAS comes in with a lot of the soft
skills. We really are proud of the fact students
learn how to be a leader, how to be a professional
and to network. Which is sometimes overlooked
in education. I think some of my favorite aspects
to this day, are our national conferences. We
have a host of them, our primary conference, I
mentioned before is called Forum. We have
national elections at Forum, and it is the largest
gathering of architecture students around the
world.
It’s incredible to get to know a cohort and
individuals who are just as passionate and driven
as you and are interested in all the same topics
as you. That’s what got me invested, and being
able to engage with students outside of my
campus ground is something you don’t always
have the opportunity to do. Being able to get
those external opinions and perspectives, while
gaining a new and better understanding of what
being an architecture student is.
We also really push the fact that architecture
education is something that doesn’t necessarily
mean you’re going to become a “Capital A”
36 | Masonry Design
architect. But it’s something that teaches you a
skill set that is like none other because
architectural education is multi-faceted. It
incorporates anthropology, engineering, art, and
different sciences. It really presents you with an
outlook on the world that is so unique and gets
students ready to pursue anything they want.
I love that AIAS doesn’t necessarily judge you on
what you choose to do, but teaches you to
embrace it. We are determined to empower
others. Back when I was a member, I was
inspired by the leaders that were on the stage at
my first few conferences. It made me want to do
the same.
M.D.M.: Since you mentioned being a member,
tell me more about your current role in the
organization.
A.R.: I am the National President, which means I
have a full-time paid position in the national
office. Our office is in Washington D.C. We are
in the same building as the American Institute of
Architects (AIA). Even though we are a
completely separate organization, we collaborate
with AIA on a lot of initiatives. We are two of the
five collaterals of architecture in the US.
I’m here with Brigid Callaghan, the Vice
President, both of us are considered the officers
of AIAS. We work side-by-side with the
Executive Director Nick Serfass, and three
full-time staff members, Ashley Ash, Kimberly
Tuttle, and Tim Matthews. The six of us are in this
office year-round, and we really dedicate our time
to members all year. As President, I am the
outward facing officer and Brigid as Vice
President is the inward facing officer.
Brigid does a lot of membership outreach and
communication of facilitation. Whereas I am more
geared towards the collaterals and professionals
in general. I represent the entire organization,
sort of the face of our membership, and I speak
on behalf of everyone. So, it’s really important I
have a full understanding of what our members
are valuing, and what they want to see from us
and the profession in general, so I can
communicate that.