By Andrew Cohen, PVAMU School of Architecture Contributor
As befits a new Master of Architecture, Yesenia Davila has methodically designed a career during her years at Prairie View A&M University (PVAMU). Davila came to PVAMU in 2015 from her hometown of Houston, the first member of her family to attend college. She graduated in May 2020 with undergraduate degrees in architecture and construction science and began work on her master’s that summer.
Davila still remembers what it’s like to come to college without having had family to help show her the ropes.
“Being a first-generation college student means that you can’t rely on family members to teach you about university life,” she said. “Everything was so new to me. So that meant that I had to step outside my comfort zone and do things without having a clue about what I was doing.”
“Fortunately, PVAMU has served as an extended family of sorts,” Davila said.
“What I love the most about PVAMU is that there is a support system with professors and advisers who are willing to help you every step of the way,” she said. “I have managed to create a family atmosphere that makes all this easier to go through.”
Among the other building blocks of Davila’s budding career were memberships in professional organizations and one key internship. Davila participated in three groups related to her field — the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), Women in Architecture (WiA) and the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) — and for two years held an internship with the School of Architecture’s Fabrication Center. There, she was known as someone “always ready to help in any printing/plotting/laser cutting for the School of Architecture and the university,” according to SOA Dean Ikhlas Sabouni, who specifically recalled her CAD (computer-aided design) and plotter work helping to prepare the letter stencils that were used to paint “Black Lives Matter” on University Drive last summer.
“Working in the Fabrication Center helped me out a lot,” said Davila. “It helped me improve my communication skills and got me out of my comfort zone, and I was able to expand my skills while working there.”
Davila has been putting those skills to work this summer at Sevan Multi-Site Solutions LLC, for which she served as a summer intern and recently accepted a full-time position. She had learned about the opportunity at the firm, which provides design, engineering, program management and construction services, from a former PVAMU colleague.
“I am looking forward to expanding my skills and gaining experience out in the field,” said Davila, who maintains even loftier aspirations as a licensed architect. “I hope to create designs that will be attractive, safe and functional. My dream job has always been to plan out a project and make it happen.”
PVAMU, she said, “always encouraged us to be ‘Productive Panthers,’ and being here has given me the confidence to go out in the real world with that mindset in the knowledge that it cannot be touched in any way.”
Davila hopes that that kind of confidence touches all of her former classmates. “The university offers so many things, but it’s up to you to take advantage of them on your own,” she said. “My advice to current students is to always push through and never give up on your dream. The unexpected things that you know will come your way doesn’t mean you should let go of your goals. Do not be afraid to put yourself out there and try everything offered. Most of all, make connections and discover those opportunities.”
Source: PVAMU School of Architecture
