The 2015 class of the Emerging Leaders in Architecture (ELA) met on Friday, February 13 in Charlottesville. Titled “Serving Communities,” The students heard from a number of speakers about what it means to volunteer and give back to their communities.
Bruce Wardell, AIA, Kathy Galvin, AIA, and Kurt Keesecker, AIA, each used examples from their own lives where they had volunteered and what it meant to them. Knowing how busy architects lives can get, each speaker also stressed how important is is to find that aspect of volunteer work that intrigues you and that you love to do so that you get the most out of the experience. The students also visited the Greater Charlottesville chapter of Habitat for Humanity to see firsthand what giving back can do in the community.
Everything that the students participated in that day was designed to prepare them for their annual project, which begins in earnest during their meeting this month. The 2015 class project is focused on a region of Norfolk named Chesterfield Heights. This is a historic district of Norfolk that is in danger of flooding due to the rise in the sea level, and presents an interesting challenge for the students in the year ahead.