An Architect’s Road Less Traveled
After working as an architect for several years, Leticia Arzuaga (B.ARCH. ’13) attended a team building exercise in which she was asked, “What’s your dream?” Coming up with an answer turned out to be...
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Creating Harmony with Cuisine
(B.ARCH. ’12)Growing up working as a hostess at her family’s restaurant, Jessica “Jaye” Fong (B.ARCH. ’12) was never allowed in the kitchen. “It was absolutely forbidden,” Fong says. “The children were not allowed...
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Pain, Passion, and Impact
(M.ARCH. ’97)Abigail Clary (M.ARCH. ’97) has spent decades designing every kind of health care space, attempting to make them more patient-friendly and efficient. One should know this to grasp the immense...
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From Italy to Chicago via Architecture
(B.Arch. ’25)Gemma Brizzolara (B.Arch. 5th Year) says that she thanks Ludwig Mies van der Rohe for helping her discover Illinois Tech. Born and raised in Genova, Italy, Brizzolara’s parents took part in an...
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Community Builder
(ARCH ’98)After working for years as an architect, Araceli Garza (ARCH ’98) found herself wanting more: more involvement in the design process, in the community outreach, even in financing, so that she could...
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Staying Local: Chicagoan’s New Perspective of the City
(B.Arch. 4th Year)Chicago is deeply ingrained in the heart of Fionn Hui (B.Arch. 4th Year). She grew up riding her bike past her home in the Bridgeport neighborhood and around Illinois Tech’s Mies Campus, and she knew...
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Building Sustainability
(ARCH ’01)Just shy of 1,200 feet in height and coming in at 101 stories, the Studio Gang-designed St. Regis Chicago has already become a recognizable part of the Chicago’s skyline. Its height and three-stem...
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Designs on a Dream
(M.A.S. ARCH ’14)In 2021 Alzira Maldonado Protsishin (M.A.S. ARCH ’14) won the American Institute of Architects Chicago (AIA Chicago) Dubin Family Young Architect Award—a title that, on the surface, might suggest a...
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Preservation Rooted in Memories
(ARCH ’13, M.ENG. ARCE ’15)Although she didn’t recognize it then, Allison Toonen-Talamo’s path to becoming an historic preservation leader began when she saw that in the mid-2000s, the ranches, homes, and mom-and-pop businesses...
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A Full-Circle Experience
(ARCH ’16)Martin Majkrak’s Illinois Tech experience came full circle when he joined the College of Architecture as an adjunct faculty member. As a student, he transferred from Wilbur Wright College and...