Alumni Profiles

The UF Historic Preservation Program was an invaluable experience for me. It not only provided me the opportunity to participate in hands on preservation, but also cultivated my preservation philosophy on the built environment. Preservation is so multifaceted and the UF HP Program allowed me the opportunity to explore each aspect in greater depth with classes in law, policy, and field survey. I loved learning and living in Nantucket with the Preservation Institute: Nantucket and working as an intern with Gainesville Modern. Each experience directly prepared me for my work in preservation as a Senior Architectural Historian where I ensure transportation projects comply with Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act. 

The University of Florida Historic Preservation Program is exceptional in both academics and application. Many classes include public engagement, surveys, and other field experiences as a cornerstone of the curriculum. While in attendance, I was fortunate to take part in the Preservation Institute Nantucket (PIN) 2019 session. This preservation field school has been documenting Nantucket Island, a National Historic Landmark, for half a century. It was during this program that my colleagues proposed a public initiative responding to sea level rise and climate change on the Island to raise awareness and advocate for action.

Summer 2019 was life altering, as I served as Coordinator of that same program after graduation. ACKlimate Nantucket is a public-private partnership supporting the innovative and holistic approaches and communication addressing climate change and sea level rise for the Nantucket community and beyond. I now work as the Co-Director of PIN and am a Preservation Associate for The Craig Group, helping with the development of a resource toolkit for Nantucket, as well as assisted with the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness grant to create resilient design guidelines for Nantucket Island’s historic architecture. 

In a field that can be all-encompassing yet very specific, the Master of Historic Preservation program at the University of Florida allowed me to explore the different aspects of preservation work while providing a solid foundation to thrive in my career. The unique opportunities offered during coursework and through summer internships, such as the US/ICOMOS International Exchange Program and the Preservation Institute: Nantucket, allowed me to create professional relationships with preservation colleagues that exist today. The preservation world may be small, but combined with UF’s alumni network it allows you to explore many avenues in the field of preservation including: urban planning; cultural heritage studies; sustainability; and non-profit work. Thanks to the connections made at PIN, I am currently the Director of Programming at the Preservation Foundation of Palm Beach where I curate the exhibitions, workshops, lectures, and digital content as well as advocate for preservation practices within the community.

Being a graduate student in the Master’s of Historic Preservation program presented me with opportunities to identify my interest in the field of Architecture. Working with the Envision Heritage Documentation team put me in a position to broaden my experience with existing buildings; opening the door for other possibilities in preservation. My participation in projects, ranging from local neighborhood surveys to international preservation initiatives in Jakarta, Indonesia, and cultural research conducted for my thesis (funded by my Graduate Assistantship through the program) shaped my knowledge of preservation as a designer. Without it, I would never have received an internship with the Historic American Building Survey in Washington, DC, the Historic Preservation Training Center in Fredrick, MD, and currently manage building documentation projects linked to African American Civil Rights history in the south. These accomplishments I owe not only to my matriculation and exposure to UF’s preservation program, but the faculty staff and professors affiliated with the program.

When I decided to compliment my Architecture Degree with a Master’s in Historic Preservation, it was tough to pick a program that I thought would give me the tools and knowledge I wanted to have in order to continue my architecture career. I couldn’t have been happier with my decision to attend the University of Florida. During my time at UF I was given many opportunities, including being part of the Envision Heritage Team where I learned about 3D documentation tools like terrestrial laser scanning and photogrammetry. During my time with Envision Heritage I was involved in small and large scale projects from documenting the Paredes Dodge House, a small historic structure located in St. Augustine, Florida to documenting communities like Cedar Key in Florida and the Nantucket waterfront. What I loved most about Envision Heritage is that I was not only using my architectural knowledge to document the built environment, but I was using my new skills in projects that actually make a difference to many communities. I was even given the opportunity to pass on my knowledge to students at the National College of Arts in Lahore, Pakistan where we gave a workshop about laser scanning and photogrammetry. I was also able to be part of the US ICOMOS International Exchange Program during the summer of 2018 working at the National Trust office in Trinidad and Tobago.
 
The MHP program offered me opportunities that I could not have even imagined and with the knowledge and skills I obtained during the short two years I spent there, I landed my dream job at a Historic Preservation firm that works on the documentation and preservation of iconic places like Mount Vernon and designs new projects like the new Admission Building at Florida Southern College. I work as an architect in a preservation firm, what I wanted to do since I initially decided to get an Architectural Degree. To top it all off, Mesick Cohen Wilson Baker Architects is to my knowledge based on my Master’s thesis research, the one architectural office that has an in-house 3D laser scanning and photogrammetry team, which I am now part of. We even incorporating in house-3D printed structural components into our restoration projects.

The Master of Historic Preservation program at UF was a very crucial step for me. It is a small program with a very comprehensive curriculum. I was exposed to learning various building tools and technology like Building Information Modeling (BIM), Geographic Information System (GIS) and Advanced GIS. With design and technology as one of the core strength, I learned Laser Scanning as well as the post-processing of the software for the virtual reproduction. Also, my thesis focused on the evaluation of these reproduced products in Cedar Key. I looked at the study of how these products were effective in communicating the message of Sea Level Rise to the local community.

During the summer 2019, I got opportunity to work as a US ICOMOS 2019 IEP intern at National Center for Preservation Technology & Training (NCPTT) in Louisiana. I helped in the documentation of tenant farmer cabins within the Natchitoches Parish. As a part of the documentation, I was involved in laser scanning and collecting the oral histories.

My time at the University of Florida’s Historic Preservation Program was during 2016 to 2018 – which were two key, reflective years of my career after having spent quite some working in North India on heritage conservation projects. Having been an implant from the Himalayan mountains then, I vividly remember my first day of classes in tropical Florida, during the hurricane season, which was the ‘History and Theory of Historic Preservation’ – a memorable class that offered a good, wholesome insight about how heritage is managed in the United States. Another set of classes that I really enjoyed were the ones that spoke in depth about Modernism and twentieth-century heritage of the United States.

The program faculty brought opportunities of my own interests to me like the summer internship at the materials conservation firm in New York City, ICR ICC Inc. Three months of rich site work in New York not only brought a wonderful balance after a year of academic, suburban life in Gainesville but provided hands on learning about some great historic buildings of New York.

The Historic Preservation program at UF is highly customizable. I was able to choose from a variety of different courses to suit my individual interests. Within two years, I took classes in a variety of different areas of study. For example, I was able to take a course of the history of interior design, a course on cultural landscapes, assisted in compiling a National Register of Historic Places nomination form for a mid-century modern building in Sarasota, FL, and was on a multi-disciplinary design team to develop a renovation plan for a historic school in Apalachicola, FL. The variety of opportunities available to me, along with the research I was able to perform during the writing of my thesis, was enlightening and added greatly to my knowledge base.

My experience in the MHP program was absolutely life changing. I was able to find a career path that was perfect for my interests and goals. My MHP experience began with the Preservation Institute: Nantucket (PIN). My time in Nantucket was certainly unique considering I was in a wheelchair with a broken foot! However, the cobble stone streets did not stop me from learning everything I could. 
The MHP program at UF is a very tight knit group of students and faculty. Yes, UF is an enormous university but the program does not feel that way in the least. The program’s faculty mentorship and inclusion helps humanize the experience so you do not feel overwhelmed or lost. From the start, they helped me feel included and always kept me in the loop. I was able to grow as person and professional with their guidance. I am so grateful that I was able to attend the MHP program at the University of Florida. It is every reason I am where I am today.