Four graduating Architecture and Interior Design students named among top 100 in North America

Four undergraduate students in CCA’s Architecture division were selected for the inaugural class of the Metropolis Future 100, a list of the top 50 interior design and top 50 architecture students graduating in North America this spring.

Architecture students Maria Antonieta Ramirez, Navya Sharad, and Valeriya Velyka and Interior Design student Conor Daly made the exclusive list alongside students from 38 other schools across the U.S. and Canada.

Bachelor of Architecture Chair Antje Steinmuller personally nominated Ramirez, Sharad, and Velyka for the Future 100. “I could not be more proud of these three immensely talented women who have done amazing work in our program,” she says. “As natural leaders, I have no doubt that all three have a bright future ahead of them as they enter the profession.” Steinmuller noted that each of the students represented a different core Architecture concentration—Velyka with a concentration in Digital Craft, Sharad with a concentration in History Theory Experiments, and Ramirez with a concentration in Urban Works. “It is wonderful to see each of our degree concentrations recognized and represented through these students on a national stage,” she adds.

Interior Design Professor Katherine Lambert, who nominated Daly for the list, was thrilled when she found out he was selected. “It’s been an extraordinary year, and as we’ve been on Zoom with the students, I’ve had time to really consider the challenges that Conor and his classmates have had in completing their education,” she says. “Conor’s passion for interior design has only grown under these constraints, and I’m so proud that he’s demonstrated the potential to turn challenges into opportunities. He inspires me!”

In addition to being featured in the March/April 2021 print issue of Metropolis and online at MetropolisMag.com, the influential magazine shared the Future 100 list, along with samples of students’ work, with recruiters at architecture and design firms across the country.

In introducing its inaugural Future 100 class, Metropolis writes, “They are a diverse group—with many identifying as BIPOC or LGBTQIA—who advocate for openness, equity, and inclusion through their work and extracurriculars. They are leaders on their campuses who are sure to be forces in the industry.”