Meet The Team

Visal is a 3rd year transfer, international student. He had lived in various places, that includes: Phnom Penh, Cambodia, and Bangkok, Thailand. He chose to study at USF because of its diverse and community-engaged curriculum and its commitment to affecting change in the world beyond the classroom setting. 

This semester, he is engaged in several campus activities, serving as a student representative for the USF Board of Trustee in Physical Facilities & Master Plan Committee and leading a team of 14 students to participate in the Solar Decathlon 2024 competition hosted by the Department of Energy. He is also an executive board member of the Southeast Asian Student Association, Khmer Student Association, and Collective Architecture + Design Society at USF. He worked as a graphic designer for the Performing Art Department and interned as an architectural designer at Jackson Liles Architecture and AS Architecture Inc. 

His accomplishments include receiving a merit-based transfer scholarship from USF, securing a second-place award in the 32nd Bank of America Low-Income Housing Challenge, being recognized as a top 100 finalist in the Taiwan International Student Design Competition, and an exhibited art series on "Asian American Art Dialogue" at UC Berkeley, Sutardja Dai Hall, supported by the Asian Pacific American Student Development office (APASD).

His passion and values revolve around the intersection of design and community, with a vision of becoming a responsible designer who serves and supports people. 

What he hopes to contribute to CADS is lead, learn, and respect.

Zayla is a 3rd year undergrad and transfer student. She is from Phoenix, Arizona, and had spent some time living in Tempe, Arizona. She came to USF with knowledge from studying at Arizona State University. She chose USF because of the small class sizes, the great sense of community, and the (of course) beautiful city, On-campus, Zayla is currently the treasurer of SAS and works as a XARTS Studio Monitor. As for her interests, Zayla loves to try new forms of art, bake, and spend time outdoors. For CADS specifically, she hopes to be a motivating team member and grow her design and rendering skills.

Julie is a 4th year undergraduate student, who is born and raised in San Francisco, California. She chose USF because it’s close proximity to home, as well as being able to study Architecture. Because Julie didn’t know what specific career direction to take, she wanted to study Architecture so she can learn a variety of skills and decide which route in the architectural field to take after she graduates. On campus, Julie is involved with being on the e-board for SAS (previously a Social Media Chair and the Vice President), a Designer for CADS, and works at Koret as a Koret Staff. Other than on-campus activities, she is interning at a small architecture firm, Shatara Architecture, working primarily in AutoCAD. She is also a part of the Honors College program, that strives for higher education. She is very interested in crocheting, traveling, and art. Julie is very excited to contribute to CADS with her skills of collaboration, designing, and creativity, and would love to learn and improve her architecture skills of designing and rendering.  

Mara is a 3rd year undergraduate student; who is from Chicago, Illinois. They decided to come to USF to study is because of its location, since they wanted to experience a large city that felt completely opposite to Chicago. Other than being a Designer for CADS, Mara is currently working as a Studio Monitor on campus, and is interning at Metis Design. Some of their interests include bouldering, Sustainable Architecture, and foxes. Mara hopes to help contribute both design ideas and produce interesting graphics to CADS.

Amy is a 3rd year undergraduate student. She is from Panama and is currently studying at USF. She originally joined USF as a Design major. She wanted to major in architecture, but the schools that she applied for as a architecture major did not accept her. She was left wondering if there was any other way that she could try majoring in architecture, and that was when she found out that USF had an Architecture program that she could easily switched to, and that is why she is a Architecture major. This semester, Amy is involved on campus through her on campus jon at PSAJ Makerspace, that is for theater majors. Off campus, Amy is working as a Architecture intern at Stantec. 

Her interest and passions have slightly shifted over time, however, she hasn’t forgotten about them. She has, of course, developed a passion for architecture, especially when it came to innovation and sustainability, but other than that, she is interested in Science and Technology, 3D modeling and animation, as well as painting and pastry arts. Despite these interests sounding a bit random, they have caught Amy’s attention over time. 

Sometimes that caught Amy’s eyes when she first heard about CADS was the fact that this is a newly created club at school that was going to participate in Architectural competitions as a team. She had high expectations for what the club can achieve, and she is looking forward to contributing to the club’s design ideas and proposals for these competitions. Additionally, Amy is excited about the opportunity to collaborate with other people who are also passionate about Architecture, much like in a firm setting. 

Daniela is a 3rd year undergraduate student, from Los Angeles, CA. There were many factors as to why she decided to study at USF, but one main factor was the school’s location. She loved the idea of being able to go to school that is basically in the heart of San Francisco. She thought it would be a great way to explore living in a different city and exploring different cultures in San Francisco. Other than being a Designer for CADS, Daniela is currently working as an intern for Stantec. A few of her interests and passions would be reading and gardening. As for what she hopes to contribute and learn from being a part of CADS is working with a team and having good communication skills, which she thinks is really important to know when pursuing this career. 

Abby is a 3rd year undergraduate student, from Woodland Hills, CA. She also lived in Santa Clarita, CA and is now in San Francisco. Abby chose to study at USF because she felt that studying Architecture in SF seemed like a great opportunity. She has received the Hilltop Scholarship, and has been on the Dean’s Honor Roll. She has many passions that include: environmental justice, housing security, and social justice matters. Some of Abby’s interests include crocheting, drawing, and listening to music. As for CADS, she hopes that through CADS she can collaborate with other aspiring Architects and find community in learning from one another, while working towards a common goal. 

Mady is a 3rd year undergraduate student. She is from San Jose, California; and chose to study at USF because of the wonderful campus and small student population. She is also interested in many variations in Architecture that are found in San Francisco. On campus, she is contributing her skills to CADS, as for off campus, over the summer, she interned at an Architecture firm in Morgan Hill. As for honors, Mady received the Hilltop, merit scholarship. Mady is interested in green building design and the structural engineering of buildings. She is also passionate about the development and application of sustainable building materials. Mady really hopes to encourage others to learn and implement more sustainable materials into their designs and she wants to learn more about the many steps of the design process and the development of buildings. 

Mona is a 3rd year undergraduate student at USF. She is from Tehran, Iran and also lived in many different places: Dubai, Irvine, London, and now, San Francisco. She chose to study at USF because she wanted to be in a city with interesting Architecture. On campus, Mona is a part of the NOMAS and CADS orgs. Off campus, Mona works as a barista at Starbucks and teach little kids French. She is also a part of the Honors College program a part of her higher education at USF. Mona also likes to take long walks and explore different parts of the city. Through CADS, Mona hops to learn new skills and to explore the different aspects of the field. 

Coral is a 3rd year undergraduate student. She is from Maui, Hawaii, and came to USF for it’s location and scholarship. This semester, Coral is involved in the following activities on campus: SAS, CADS, Innovation Hive Monitor. She is going to be a part of CADS and take a part of the design process.

Dariana is a 4th year undergraduate student. She is from Tracy, CA. And came to USF because of its community design emphasis and powerful tagline, “Change the World from Here.” She looked forward to getting hands-on experiences with the community and undergoing personal growth while immersing herself in the USF Architecture program. This semester, Dariana is very involved on-campus, she is currently the co-presidents of two Architecture clubs, including the Society of Architecture Students (SAS) and the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS). She is also currently interning at Viotti Architects and work as an Architectural Research Assistant, redrawing ancient architectural plans for a two-volume book. Dariana is also a part of the Honors in Architecture program, as she dedicates more time into architecture. 

Dariana is passionate about residential architecture. Through residential architecture, she found this architectural type to be one of the most intimate, for there is no place like home. In design, she strives to unlock the value between space and people. She is also passionate about minority women, whether in the field of architecture or not. Her goal is to be a role model for minority women in hopes of inspiring, empowering, and guiding them to reach their full potential. She hopes to contribute her knowledge and diverse experience to CADS. She also wants to learn more about her teammates and gain new knowledge about architecture while participating in CADS.

Lauren is a 4th year undergraduate student. She is from Cupertino, CA. She chose to study at USF because of the small class sizes, the city life, and restaurants. For Spring 2023, Lauren studied architecture abroad, that is a part of the DIS Copenhagen program. This semester, Lauren is involved on campus with Game Design club and SAS. As for off campus activities, Lauren is working on her portfolio. Some interests she has includes cooking, gaming, reading, baking, listening to music, and women empowerment. Lauren is also interested in learning more about engineering and structural side of Architecture, since that is an area she is planning to work on and collaborate as a larger group, like a firm.

Mae is a 4th year undergraduate student. She was born in San Francisco, CA, and had lived in the Seattle area before. She chose to study at USF to further her education in the city that she was born in to learn how to help their community. She is currently a member of CADS and works at Trader Joe’s. She had received scholarships as well, that includes the Hilltop Scholarship and the Luke & John Fay Scholarship. She has interests in art, dance, and music. Joining CADS, Mae hopes to expand her design skills by learning from her teammates and contribute my own unique skills to the team. 

Cheena is a 2nd year undergraduate, international student. She was born in Manila, Philippines, and chose to study at USF for its location and the various internship at San Francisco. Because she graduated from a Jesuit high school, USF, being a Jesuit school as well, has values that has always been near and dear to Cheena’s heart. Cheena is currently a Resident Advisor for the first year residence galls, Student Assistant at the Dean’s office of the USF College of Arts and Sciences, a member of USF Kasamahan and the Society of Architecture Students (SAS), and she is now a Designer for CADS. She was a USF Presidential Scholarship recipient, and Dean’s Honors Roll for her first year of undergraduate studies at USF. Cheena’s interests include baking, working out, hiking, playing the piano, learning more about social justice issues and creative leadership, and indulging herself in all things Taylor Swift. As part of CADS, she would like to change the framework of what it means to be an architect. She believes that no only are architects the builders of society through art and science, but they are also pillars of social service. They contribute the bigger picture of problem-solving and through her time with CADS, she aims to learn how to be a better advocate for change. 

Jabz is a 3rd year undergraduate, international student. He was born in Edmonton, Canada, and have lived in various places, such as Canada, Qatar, UK, and now San Francisco. Before coming to USF because it seemed like a great option in terms of Architecture and social culture, Jabz had studied at the Virginia Commonwealth University of the Arts – Qatar. On-campus, Jabz works as a Gallery Assistant at the Thacher Gallery, and is a part of the Student Architecture Association. Jabz has carious interests that includes fashion, photography, molecular gastronomy (that has been a new interest), boxing, and target practice, like archery or shot gun ranges. He also hopes to learn from CADS in general to add more to his CV, and experience what it is like working in a team, while competing in architecture competitions.

Kevin is a 4th year undergraduate student, from Los Angeles, CA. He chose to study at USF for its diverse campus and it’s location withing the city. Currently, he is dedicating his time into CADS, and is actively looking for an internship. Kevin is passionate about sustainability and environmental issues, and enjoy exploring diverse cultures by traveling. He hopes to contribute innovative design perspectives, while learning through collaborative problem-solving, in CADS.

Michaela is a 1st year undergraduate, transfer student. She is from North Carolina, but she also lived in San Jose, CA for three years. Before coming to USF, she studied at West Valley College in Saratoga, CA. She chose to study at USF for its culture and community. Currently, Michaela is apart of CADS and the Student Investment Club on-campus, and off-campus she has a part time job. She has interest in sustainability, BLM, and art. For CADS, she hopes to contribute wherever help is needed and learn real life experiences!