Gabriela de Almeida, an architecture student at Kennesaw State University, shared on Mar. 24 her experiences of building a supportive community and developing leadership skills through campus involvement and design competitions.
De Almeida, who grew up in Rio de Janeiro, said her interest in architecture began early after her mother brought home a floor plan of her bedroom. “I remember coloring it and asking my mom what it was,” de Almeida said. “From that moment, I started drawing floor plans of my friends’ houses and imagining what my own space could look like.”
After arriving at Kennesaw State in January 2022 to study architecture, she faced the challenges of adjusting to life in a new country but found support by working at the Horace W. Sturgis Library since May 2022. She described this as finding her first community on campus.
As an event director for the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), de Almeida organizes workshops, lectures, and professional development events for fellow students. She also played a key role in expanding the chapter’s Beaux Arts Ball last fall, bringing together about 80 students, faculty members, and professionals to celebrate achievements within the college.
De Almeida has contributed to award-winning design work as well. She helped lead a team that won international recognition with their project “When Walls Roam” in the TerraViva architecture competition focused on adaptive reuse and historic preservation. The project received the Community’s Choice Award during TerraViva’s Venetian Villa challenge.
CACM Dean Hazem Rashed-Ali praised de Almeida’s contributions: “Gabriela embodies the creativity, leadership, and global perspective we strive to cultivate in our students,” he said. “Her passion for architecture and commitment to supporting her peers demonstrate the kind of impact our students can have both within the college and in the profession.” De Almeida credits several faculty members with shaping her experience at KSU.
Looking ahead after graduation from KSU’s five-year program, de Almeida hopes to become a licensed architect specializing in adaptive reuse projects before returning to academia as a professor herself. “Professors played such an important role in shaping my journey,” she said. “I want to have that same impact on future students.”
