From Chicago to Sydney:

I was just fifteen when I left my hometown of Chicago and stepped into the home of a Swiss family whose legacy would shape the course of my life. I didn’t know it then, but that family’s grandfather, Jan Tschichold, was a pioneer of modern book design. Listening to stories about his work, his confrontations with the Nazis over modern design, and his eventual role as art director at Penguin Books showed me that design was more than aesthetics—it could be powerful, even dangerous.

Returning to the U.S., I pursued art history at Hope College in Michigan, a place steeped in design influence. The presence of Herman Miller and the legacy of Ray and Charles Eames surrounded my education, embedding modernist ideals in my thinking. Eventually, I enrolled at the Illinois Institute of Technology, the spiritual successor to the Bauhaus. There, under the shadow of Mies van der Rohe’s iconic buildings, I studied architecture and felt certain I was on the right path.

New York was next. Working with Charles Gwathmey, one of the New York Five, was an education in itself. Through him, I connected with Richard Meier, Peter Eisenman, and Stephen Holl. These names weren’t just on the covers of architecture magazines; they were in the room, sketching, debating, creating. It was surreal. Our team became one of the seven finalists in the World Trade Center Memorial design competition. Although our design wasn’t chosen, the experience—working on a project with such emotional and global significance—was unforgettable.

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