Page 113 - Work8_2014_Parsons

Back in 2001, when I was working in the banking
industry, I realized that I wanted to follow my passion
for design. I am not the type of person to engage in
anything unless I am fully committed, and when I
looked at the Parsons curriculum I felt architecture
and interior design would fulfill my creative desires.

I have always loved beautiful things, and growing
up in New York, and traveling for most of my life, I
acquired a strong appreciation for the architecture,
interior design, fashion and art that continue to
inspire my work today. When you do what you love,
the rewards are endless and your passion drives you
beyond your expectations.

At Parsons, for the first time in my life, I loved school.
We learned how to express our thoughts and ideas
through drawings and plans so that others could
understand and relate to them. Parsons provided the
means to develop relationships that would ulti-
mately shape my career.

People who have similar interests provide support
and encouragement, and can lead to bigger opportu-
nities. I found this in my Studio Professor at Parsons,
Thomas Hickey, who has been my business partner
the last 10 years. We are principles at GRADE, a full
service architecture and interior design firm char-
acterized by a holistic approach and contemporary
sensibility. Our cutting-edge designs are rooted in a
meticulously planned and executed conception.

As we came to know each other at Parsons we
both felt that architecture and interior design must
be considered as one whole , rather than separate
practices. This belief has been the driving force of
our success—and we will be teaching those ideas
together for the first time at Parsons in the spring
of 2015.