I come from a small city Naga in the Philippines surrounded by rice fields, coconut trees and a dormant volcano. My father and mother both built construction and real estate business in which we constructed most of the highways, road and pipelines, and airport runways in the city. After moving to the big capital Metro Manila and having finished my Bachelors of Science in Architecture there, I successfully passed the licensure examination for Architecture and later on applied to different schools in Europe for Masters Program. It was a turning point in my life when I, a small town girl, was one of the 5 students in our university selected to study at one of the best architecture schools in Europe – Politecnico di Milano.
The school helped me realize my true potential, honed my communication skills, collaborations with people from different cultures, and helped me learn the importance of design and architecture in a truly elegant beautiful city of Milan. This is also the reason why I decided to pursue a career in Architecture-Built Environment-Interiors. With guidance and support from my professors in Italy, I managed to graduate with 110/110 marks with a degree of Masters of Science in Architecture-Built Environment-Interiors. I immediately applied to big cities in Europe as well as big cities in the United States. I kept my options open after graduation because I wanted to surprise myself. However, I knew I wouldn’t have a chance if I applied directly to US companies without the visa. And so, I stumbled upon Architect-US, in which I thought I was skeptical at first because it was too good to be true. Because of Architect-US, they found a company for me in New York and also organized my visa – all in a span of 3 months.
I still cannot believe that I was given the opportunity to be in New York after several months of visa processing, that seemed to be endless. I was about to lose hope but in the end, I pursued to be always positive despite the anxiety within me. This year, I would say, is the most important year of my life because I never expected that I have come a long way. I achieved so many milestones this year I never thought I could. This seems like a paradox to the overwhelming pandemic years where I was isolated and didn’t know what to do in my life. Now, everything is clearer to me than ever and it gives me so much motivation in my life.
After having found companies, I never thought it could go so fast. In a span of three months, I did my interview, submitted all my documents, processed my visa, had my US embassy interview, and now I am off to New York. I cannot wait to immerse myself in the busy city of New York – a little fish in the grand scheme of things! I am thankful to the team of US Architects for making not just my own but many dreams here come true!
