Being born and raised in Vancouver, I chose to study at McGill because I really wanted to be in a different city for my university experience. Montreal’s campus environment was palpably unique, especially with its proximity to a rich cultural heritage.
One of the things that stands out the most about my McGill experience is the strong history program. Learning about history – really the story of humankind – through the lens of architecture was immediately compelling for me. It gave me ways to fall in love with diverse narratives and historical data embedded within architectural history – to really learn about what makes us human.
Traveling to Rome with some dear professors, Ricardo L. Castro and Radoslav Zuk, when I was just 18 was truly an eye-opening experience. Maybe for many it was not such a huge deal but for me, having been raised by an immigrant family, it was a dream beyond a dream come true. I will never forget sketching the Tempietto at San Pietro in Montorio or watercolouring the Piazza Navona.
Studying architectural atmospheres and affective architecture with Martin Bressani and engaging depth through architectural rendering as an art form really opened my mind to the possibilities of design.
Studying with Alberto Pérez-Gómez, I learned about Vitruvius’ Ten Books on Architecture, the lexical investigations of daidala, and Renaissance architectural treatises like the Hypnerotomachia Poliphili and Filarete’s Sforzinda. I was introduced to different architectural worlds.
Being exposed to multidisciplinary work was another important part of my McGill experience – from parametrically modeling Japanese beetles down to the detail of each leg, to working on educational pavilions about the declining bee population, to researching and 3D-printing a submarine-turned-arctic-research-centre design. The spirit of innovation continues to inspire me as I adopt machine learning in my personal projects. I am especially inspired by fellow McGill graduate Joëlle Pineau whose AI research is globally renowned. To that end, I've applied techniques such as natural language processing and text-to-image synthesis to diverse programs from community engagement to concept iterations.
I was very fortunate to be able to learn from some of the best architects in Québec, including TBA’s Tom Balaban and Jennifer Thorogood, FABG’s Éric Gauthier, Atelier TAG, Atelier Big City, Aaron Sprecher, and Conor Sampson. These are champions who really challenged me, pushed me to excel and taught me the importance of giving back.
As a strong supporter of the LGBTQ+ community, I have been appointed to the Board of Directors of ArQuives – the world's largest independent collection of LGBTQ+ material. This is where I will be putting machine learning tools to the service of the LGBTQ+ community for fundraising and experimental experiences.
Besides my academic pursuits, I will always cherish memories of playing soccer with Arch Attack alongside my fellow architect classmates, usually exhausted from an all-nighter or after a wonderful party.