July 2024

LJC Office Location: Chicago
Title/Role: Administrative Coordinator
Focus: Admin Team/Accounting Team
Alma Mater: Roberto Clemente Academy

What is the most fun you've had on a trip or vacation?
On a recent trip to New York (albeit I was not 100%) I was not having too much fun OR SO I THOUGHT! I realized a few weeks later that I HAD AN AMAZING TIME! My daughter, son in law and I went to the Metropolitan Museum for the day, a neighborhood festival, a hole-in-the-wall pizza place that was outstanding (who knew and it was "expensive" at $3.50 a slice), the bagel of my dreams and a French restaurant that was amazing. In between all of that we spent time with family and saw Lady Liberty all in 4 days!

What are you most proud of accomplishing in your life, NOT professionally, so far? 
I'm proudest of helping a loved one with a life-changing illness that has changed our lives dramatically. We have learned to move forward and recognize all moments count, Good, Bad, Sad, Joyous, they all matter.

What movie can you watch repeatedly? What makes it so special? 
I love West Side Story and as a Latina, this resonated with me, again the Good, Bad, Sad, Joyous it all mattered! PLUS, THE DANCING, MUSIC AND ACTING, PERFECTION!

As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up and why? 
I wanted to be a dancer as a kid and had dreams! I quickly realized (after taking one class at Alvin Ailey Dance Studio), I better stick with the accounting courses.

LJC Office Location: Phoenix
Title/Role: Administrative
Focus: I support the design and architectural teams
Affiliations: I am a lifetime member of the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls.

What is something about you that you think would surprise your co-workers? 
I think they know now, but I am a huge Metal head. LOVE German Metal. I used to hang out with the band Poison and was great friends with Brett Michaels. I was a club girl and hung out with quite a few of the 80’s L.A. glam bands. I am a gourmet cook and spend many happy evenings and weekends creating delicious meals.

If you could speak another language, what would it be? Why? 
I used to be fluent in French, German and Spanish, but you do lose it if you don’t use it, and I have lost it. I have recently been teaching myself to read ancient Babylonian so that I can TRY to understand Cuneiform …it’s really hard!

What’s a book you’d recommend to just about anyone? Why?
The Gate to Women’s Country, by Sheri Tepper. She’s my favorite author. She is a conscious social novelist who values knowledge, and this particular book made my jaw drop.

Name three songs that best describe you / are your favorites, and briefly explain why!
Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb is a favorite. If you’ve heard it, you know why it’s great. Massenet’s Meditation from Thais is a gorgeous encore piece that makes me emotional whenever I hear it; I love the violin. And Romance by Apocalyptica. They are a Finnish symphonic metal band, and Romance is an original piece that combines my love of metal with classical cello.

LJC Office Location: Kansas City
Title/Role: Landscape Designer 
Focus: Landscape and Planning 
Alma Mater: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 
Affiliations: ASLA, USGBC 

What is something about you that you think would surprise your co-workers?
I used to be in a competitive cheer pom dance team in high school. Our team got through the regional tournament and performed at the national tournament.

If you could speak another language, what would it be? Why?
I am fluent in Japanese, but I would like to learn Chinese or Spanish since they are one of the most spoken languages in the world! 

What’s the most fun you’ve had on a trip or vacation?
My recent trip to Ruskin, Florida! I saw a family of manatees and some dolphins when we were paddle boarding at the canal. We took my friend’s boat to Passage Key and Alafia River and swam all day. We also saw the Fourth of July fireworks at the beach. Although I had 30+ bug bites, the trip was a lot of fun! 

What does a perfect weekend look like to you? I love looking at Google Maps and pinning places I want to visit. On the weekend, I enjoy visiting them and checking off as I go!

LJC Office Location: Chicago
Title/Role: Interior Designer I 
Focus: Interiors, Reverberation, the materials library at our Chicago office
Alma Mater: I graduated from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio with a Bachelor of Arts in Architecture and a concentration in Sustainability in 2019. Then I graduated from the University of Oregon in Portland, Oregon with my Master of Architecture and specialization in Urban Design in 2021.

What’s the most fun you’ve had on a trip or vacation?
I went on a trip to Palm Springs during the summer of 2023 with a bunch of my girlfriends for a birthday. We had a lovely time lounging by the pool, grilling, and having some drinks every now and then. Everything took a turn when I accidentally broke a friend's car windshield from the inside with a handicap scooter my other friend had because she had a broken leg. Alcohol was not involved during this specific scenario, but everything was resolved the next day. It wasn't too fun at the time, but it is a fun memory to look back and reflect on.

What is something about you that you think would surprise your co-workers?
Okay I have two truths and a lie, find me at the Chicago office or message me with your best guess:

• I am an ordained minister and have performed one wedding, but I will be going to their divorce party in London in September 2024.
• I have had plastic surgery in an almost similar style to Kylie Jenner.
• One date I went on was at a cadaver lab at a university in Chicago.

What’s your most niche, non-work-related interest?
Recently I have been going to a handful of wrestling competitions. I went to a Freelance Wrestling show back in May in Chicago with some friends which was incredible. They had a handful of versus matches in the first half and then a battle royale during the second half.

What was your first job, and what is most memorable about it?
My first job was a retail sales associate at my local TJ Maxx. It was extremely memorable because I had a lot of older women yell at me at the ripe age of 16, so while I was slowly building fashion skills, I was also building character! I will forever and always be a Maxxinista.

LJC Office Location: Denver
Title/Role: Associate Interior Designer
Focus: Interiors
Alma Mater: University of Cincinnati

Professional Affiliations: IIDA Board Member for the Rocky Mountain Chapter, WELL AP certified 

What’s your most niche, non-work-related interest? I love the movies. For the last few years, I’ve made it a goal to see every Oscar-nominated film – regardless of category. This includes not just the Best Pictures, but Costumes, Docs, Shorts, International, etc. It’s been a fun challenge. This past year, I was able to see 42 of the 49 movies nominated. 2024 favorites were Past Lives, American Fiction, and, of course, Barbie.

What’s a book you recommend to just about anyone? Why?
One of my all time favorite books is ‘Let the Great World Spin’ by Colum McCann. It’s a fast, easy read and I love when a book intertwines stories from a variety of strangers. I also love Historical Fiction and Non-Fiction - I’m a HUGE Erik Larson fan. Although we should all read ‘Devil in the White City’, my favorite of his is ‘Into the Garden of Beasts’. A prized possession of mine is an early-released copy of Erik Larson’s ‘The Splendid and the Vile’ in which he signed.

What does a perfect weekend look like to you?
A relaxing Friday with either a movie and Indian food at home or going to the theatre, a Saturday spent productively – catching up on household things, running errands, and cooking a great meal for dinner, and a Sunday spent with an early morning hike, then hitting a brewery with friends or hanging with a book on our deck.