Student Profiles

CAPLA students come from a rich diversity of backgrounds and experiences.

View profiles of a few of our students, including undergraduate architecture, landscape architecture and sustainable built environments students and graduate architecture, landscape architecture, real estate development and urban planning students:

Alec Kelly-Jones

What It Means to Be a Responsible Steward of the Earth: Alec Kelly-Jones '19 BS SBE '22 M Arch

Alec Kelly-Jones, who came to UArizona from Sydney, Australia, to play rugby, discusses his passion for sustainability and his move from the BS Sustainable Built Environments to the Master of Architecture and the challenges and rewards of the M Arch program.

Athena Myers

Future Trajectories: Athena Myers '21 M Arch

Athena Myers, who is from Tucson, entered the M Arch program after receiving her undergraduate degree in design studies. Prior to joining CAPLA, she spent a year in Portland, Oregon, before moving back to Tucson where she worked as a manager in an advertising agency.

Mehli Romero

Ambition Transforms Character: Mehli Romero '22 B Arch / BA Creative Writing

Mehli Romero came to CAPLA after living in Texas, Mexico, Germany and Italy. As a violinist, she is passionate about music and also now passionate about how places and spaces impact our mental health, a passion that she shares regularly on her blog, Archipeutic.

Kaya Orona

Hands-On Learning: Kaya Orona '23 B Arch

CAPLA student ambassador Kaya Orona, who is active in several student organizations, came to the Bachelor of Architecture program at the University of Arizona from Chandler, Arizona.

Tulga Ericson

Persistence is Key: Tulga N. Ericson '21 B Arch

Tulga N. Ericson, who is originally from Mongolia but moved to Arizona nine years ago, entered CAPLA's Bachelor of Architecture program after knowing he could stay in Tucson to attend an outstanding undergraduate architecture program.

Hong Kong

From Hong Kong to Tucson: Cordell Lee '24 BS SBE

Cordell Lee, who is originally from Hong Kong, entered CAPLA's BS in Sustainable Built Environments program after completing his high school career in the United Kingdom.

Tucson's Congress Street at night

Sustainable Returns: Anthony Van Dao '22 BS SBE

Anthony Van Dao, who grew up in Tucson, entered CAPLA's Sustainable Built Environments program after coming to UArizona first as a B Arch student. After taking time off and realizing his passion was sustainability, he returned to UArizona for the SBE program.

Suzanne Ries

Meeting the Sustainability Challenge—on Earth and Beyond: Suzanne Ries ’21 BS SBE

Suzanne Ries, who is from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, entered CAPLA's Sustainable Built Environments program after coming to UArizona first as a B Arch student. After a car accident that required an intense recovery process, she made the difficult decision to switch majors—igniting a passion for sustainable buildings and much more.

Sarah Ghaemi

A Broad Spectrum of Energy: Sara Ghaemi '20 MS Arch

Sara Ghaemi, who holds a bachelor's degree in architectural engineering from Iran, came to CAPLA to study the Master of Science in Architecture because it provides an opportunity to focus on sustainability and energy efficiency in the built environment.

Maryam Moradnejad

A Focus on Emerging Building Technologies: Maryam Moradnejad '20 MS Arch

Maryam Moradnejad, who holds a Bachelor of Architecture and Master of Construction Management from Iran, came to CAPLA to study the Master of Science in Architecture because of the opportunity to research emerging building technologies.

Liz Madsen

Staying Present in Design and Construction: Liz Madsen '20 M Arch

Liz Madsen, who is from Tucson, entered the Master of Architecture program after receiving undergraduate degrees in architectural studies and urban planning. She chose CAPLA in part because of the world-class Materials Lab.

Junlu Ouyang

Investing in a Real Estate Career: Junlu Ouyang '20 MRED

Originally from China, Junlu Ouyang entered CAPLA's on-campus Master of Real Estate Development program in Fall 2019 after earning her undergraduate degree in geography from the University of Arizona. Here, she's found that working on actual projects in the field is very rewarding.