Saturday, January 26, 2008

News From Graduates

  • Kome Ajegbo 07 visited us in January 08 while on campus recruiting for Goldman Sachs. She reports “work is great and New York is equally wonderful. ” I am working at Goldman Sachs & Co. in New York as an analyst in the Technology Infrastructure division. She reports that she is primarily focused on project management from a technology perspective ensuring that the various technology groups in the company have the right financial and project controls in place to ensure successful project lifecycles. Kome also commented she is considering pursuing a master’s in architecture degree after first gaining some work experience in architecture-possibly in London.
  • Steven Lehrburger 07 was a symbolic systems major before joining our major in architecture. He along with Joseph Bergen 07 organized a student initiated class that participated in and was one of the winning teams of the “Google Sketch-Up your campus” competition. Steven had several offers from New York firms, but chose Kevin Kennon Architect. The firm Steven is working for was recently featured in the NY Times. Check out the model Steven worked on extensively at his firm which was assembled out of laser cut acrylic. Steven has been exploring programs related to Media Arts and Science. We share them here since some of you may be interested in these programs. First you might not be aware of MIT’s Media Lab. It’s a 2 year M.S. in Media Arts and Sciences, which is hosted by their School of Architecture and Planning !! It is structured around several research groups and seems like a very interdisciplinary, collaborative program. Steven is also looking at NYU’s School of the Arts Interactive Telecommunications Program which has a curriculum that focuses on the design of digital technologies and how these designs affect human communication via interactive media. Steven is also exploring Parsons- The New School for Design- which offers an MFA in Design and Technology that encourages experimental and collaborative approaches to interactivity and social dynamics design challenges.
  • Joseph Bergen 07 and Marcela Delgado 06 are in the midst of their first year at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design working on their master of architecture degrees.
  • Liz Romero 07 is working as a Junior/Intern Architect for JSW/D Architects in South Berkeley. The firm does mostly residential projects including affordable housing, as well as multifamily housing for developmentally and physically disabled.
  • Veronika Heckova 07 is working for John Barton Architects in Palo Alto, Ca.
  • Anh Tran 07 is working with Arcanum Architects as a Junior Designer.
  • Natalie Ramirez is working with the San Francisco Bureau of Architecture, a part of the City of San Francisco Department of Public Works.
  • Julia Hu 06 went on to get her masters in Construction Engineering Management before accepting a position at Mogavero and Notestine Architects in Sacramento. The firm focuses on sustainable communities- dense urban residential infill projects. Julia is a Development Associate working on the real estate development side, a small offshoot of the larger design firm that provides real estate development consulting. Julia works on several aspects of the building process- the financial side of development (market analyses, financial modeling of potential projects), some environmental consulting (research and proposing a portfolio of sustainability measures for our projects), and project management. Mogavero and Notestine Architects is a great environment for Julia to work in since they provide architectural, planning, and development services. http://www.mognot.com Somehow, Julia found time outside of work to participate in a Clean Tech Competition and in 2007 was a Green Buildings Finalist. Julia focused on ecologically smarter studio dwelling units targeted on young urban professionals interested in a lifestyle of health and sustainability.
  • Mohini Rustagi 07 recently attended a lecture on campus and shared with us that she is enjoying her work with the Bay Area company, Orbit, as marketing director. The firm was started by two Stanford Product design majors and designed a high quality infant car seat that converts to a stroller. Check it our here. Mohini is assisting in the enhancement of the green properties of this product.
  • Chrissy Brown 07 is working as a transportation engineer with a firm in west LA, Crain & Associates. Chrissy helps clients determine any traffic impacts that may result from expansion or new development and then determines creative ways to mitigate those impacts if necessary.
  • Lauren Schneider is finishing her masters in structures at Stanford.
  • Three 08 graduates soon to be- are currently applying for either CEM or DCI co-term master’s degrees.