My ambition of becoming an architect is rooted in the journeys that I have taken thus far.  Growing up in the dense urban fabric of Beirut, Lebanon has given me the exclusive opportunity to see the impact of war on the regeneration of people, culture and architecture. Comparatively, having migrated to Toronto, Canada and eventually to Los Angeles, California has given me a broad spectrum of how culture is interlaced into the built environment. The transition was a poignant time for me, as I perpetually compared my life in the West to my heritage in the Middle East.  The notion of “home” was one which relied on the characteristics of both parts of the world.  I am relentlessly determined to continually expand upon my personal, academic and professional experiences to inform design and the built environment on local and global scales.

       I received my Bachelor's degree in Architecture from Cal Poly Pomona in 2005, and my Masters of Science in Advanced Architectural Design |MS AAD| from Columbia University |GSAPP| in 2007, having studied under Bernard Tschumi, among many other great minds. Upon graduation I engaged my role as Intermediate Designer with the award winning SAMOO Architecture PC, the New York Studio of SAMOO Architects and Engineers in Seoul South Korea, working on both local and international projects of varying scales.

        Pursuing my philanthropic passions, I engaged in many pro-bono projects with several great organizations. With Architecture for Humanity New York, as Director of Outreach and Advocacy, I initiated and managed several projects including AFHny Talks and FlyNY international design competition, among others.  Working with Hoops for Hope, I designed and curated the fabrication of a prototype container clubhouse to be featured in the Spring of 2010.

        Staying true to educational contributions to inspire, empower and nourish our youth’s minds, I taught the Architecture Studio for Stickball Print Media Arts in the Summer of 2008, was invited to partake in the Cooper Hewitt’s annual Teen Design Fair in the Fall of 2009, and was an invited jude for The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in the Winter of 2010.