By Alexis Meyer, Master of Architecture student
In Student Profiles, SARUP students share their motivations, inspirations and goals.
Growing up in the woodshop building objects out of scrap materials, I fell in love with the idea of designing and creating spaces. I knew I wanted a career that would foster creativity, include hands-on activities, and create an impact which meant architecture was a natural choice.
Throughout my undergraduate and graduate career at UWM, I have found ways to incorporate my interests on hands-on building, mental health and well-being, and community-engaged design. I am motivated to be successful in my education by surrounding myself with a collective of women who showed me the value of working hard, being passionate and not letting anything get in the way of your goals.
As the leader of Women In Design – Students, I have created opportunities that connect, empower and advocate for women through mentoring, networking and skill-building events. With only 20% of licensed architects in the US being women, despite being more than 50% of the student body, creating mentorships between professionals and students will hopefully decrease the gap in the profession. WIDs would love to see architecture education and profession encourage women to excel by highlighting those who have successful careers, accomplishments, and projects.
After graduation this spring, I will be joining the Healthcare Team at HGA’s Minneapolis office. I hope to bring my research on mental health and the built environment into practice. I am excited for the opportunity to work on a team to advance the research and design around the built environment’s impact on the human experience.
