It all started when...

I was 16 years old and I spent 21 days in Europe. I had the privilege of traveling to 6 different countries within those 21 days, and let me tell you at 16 years old, that can be very overwhelming! I had never seen so many different cultures and lifestyles. One thing that really stood out to me was seeing so many kids sitting on the street asking for money. It broke my heart. I wondered, where are their parents? Why don’t they have clean clothes? Where do they live?  

In the U.S. we have a lot of homeless, but you hardly ever see any kids asking for money. Exposing myself to this changed my outlook on life. At 16 years old, I was also trying to figure out what I wanted to study and do for the rest of life. I had a strong passion for children because I grew very close to my brother when he was born. This made me realize, as I grew up, what an impact we make in children’s lives, and also what an impact they make in ours. When I came back from Europe, I decided that I wanted to open an orphanage one day. All I could think about was the innocent children who don’t have a family or loved ones, so I decided that I would do something to help.

My trip to Europe also sparked my passion for architecture. I had always been good at math and I loved art, so architecture was the perfect choice for me. After high school, I attended NewSchool of Architecture & Design, in hopes that one day I will be able to design and open an orphanage. I had planned to do my thesis on designing an orphanage, but during my fourth year, everything changed.

My cousin, Firas, who I was not close to at the time, was hospitalized due to liver failure. Firas was born with two diseases, Wilson’s disease and Retinitus Pigmentosa. Firas has been slowly losing his vision over time, and now he can only see shadows. When he was hospitalized, I developed a close relationship with him and I learned so much about people who are visually impaired. This led me to do my thesis on how architecture is perceived in the absence of vision. In my thesis, I became aware of the importance of our senses and how magnificent the human body is. My thesis then led me to the blog I have on my site, which then led to my own design firm.

My mission is to bring awareness to our senses and to show how the spaces we inhabit affect our experiences. My goal is to help you have richer experiences on a daily basis.

EDUCATION

BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE,        
NewSchool of Architecture + Design - San Diego, California

CERTIFICATIONS

CERTIFIED INTERIOR DESIGNER, #7100
 

CERTIFIED DESIGN PSYCHOLOGY COACH