Welcome
About me
Over the years, I’ve had the opportunity to work on a number of incredible projects that have allowed me to grow and establish myself within both the education and architecture industry. I hope you’ll enjoy viewing my projects as much as I enjoyed working on them. Go ahead and explore, and don’t hesitate to reach out if you’d like to learn more.
Patricia as an Educator
How I knew that teaching might be for me?
In Uganda, it is a long-standing tradition for families to spend time in the countryside during the holidays. As a city child, going out to the village was my favorite time of the year. It was the time to climb trees to pick up some fruit and to go out to the well and fetch water. This was a whole new experience for me, a child that had grown up in the city. Every afternoon at my grandmother’s house, children from the neighborhood gathered to share a meal with us. Once we cleared the meal, I would collect the young kids and try to communicate with them in English. This was my first interaction with language barrier. I was puzzled as to why children of my age were unable to speak English and do basic math. Evidently, I noted something unusual and wanted to do something about it. So, from that summer on, whenever my grandmother would host children at our family home, I would use the chance to gather my age mates and teach them a few English words every day in addition to a few of the games I had learned at city school that year. I would make copies of my school notes and bring them to the village with me. It was my way of feeling like I was making an impact.
Patricia as a Arch Designer
What motivated me to pursue design?
Learning spaces have always been very important to me. I have always associated specific smells, colors and sounds to specific spaces. At age 6, I didn't know that these sensibilities were preparing me for a career in design. As a first grader at Greenhill Academy in Kampala, Uganda, I witnessed the construction of a new school building. I was astounded by its aesthetic, but nothing could have prepared me for the experience that awaited me in that new building. The first year it felt like any other building. However, the second came around and as we, children and students, all started to make the building our own. There were essays from older students pinned against the walls in the English office and science experiment projects on display in the science labs. There was artwork on the walls of the art room and the library had little corners that students had started to make their own because that is where they felt comfortable studying. It was in this building that I started to witness the influence of the built environment on human activity.
The A-HA Moment
Why it is worth pursuing both?
After 5 years of a design education, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with my career, but I was still struggling to find the purpose of taking that path. Then I walked into Professor Assie-Lumumba lecture on education innovation in Africa and the Diaspora at Cornell University’s Center of Africana Studies. She talked about how innovations in the African education sector work, their impact on the students and their impact on the African societies. I had my “a-ha” moment. Now I saw where my skills as a designer could be used as a vehicle for change and impact on the issue of educational access that I am very passionate about. The more educated I became in the process of teaching and education especially in communities like refugees, immigrants as well as people in developing communities, I started to see my vision for my career more clearly.
Going Forward
What I am aspiring for?
All my life, two things have always been constants. My passion for design and my zeal to give others access to an education of some sort. I dedicated 5 years to hone my design craft and become more knowledgeable in the way to shape the built environment. And I have chosen to take time to learn how the learning process works and my role in making that a fruitful and enjoyable experience for the next generation. Now I am ready to dedicate time to foster the way people learn and why they learn in those specific ways while exploring how design can influence that process. Finally I have found a way to integrate the two things I love.
Get in Touch
Interested in learning more about me, my work or how we can collaborate on an upcoming project? Feel free to reach out anytime, I would be more than happy to chat.
