I am a graduate architecture student at Norwich University and also work as a substitute teacher’s aide for disabled children in the Saratoga City School District when my schedule allows. Through the classroom experience, as well as my own experiences with bullying, have helped develop my thesis topic related to creating safe, empowering educational spaces. I am determined, flexible, and eager to expand my knowledge regarding Architecture for Education and am excited to share this knowledge not only with classmates, but also online through AIA KnowledgeNet's discussion forum and blog, Twitter, and Facebook.
This conference intersects with my Master’s thesis topic, Buildings Battling Bullying: Creating Empowering Educational Spaces. I am currently researching how issues of transparency, daylighting, spatial organization, and color can be used to promote community and lessen bullying and intimidation. For my precedent studies, I am interested in the educational facility tours, particularly Olathe West High School, as well as the Exhibit Hall Classrooms to better understand how to create collaborative spaces and layer the learning environment. As I move towards designing a high school for my thesis project, Make a Difference: Designing Schools to Benefit Learning, Designing a Culture as Opposed to Designing Spaces, Inspire by Design, and Integrating Sustainability and Pedagogy are sessions that I believe would be most beneficial.