UPDATE
Hey there! I'm Maria.
I'm a proud New Yorker at heart. I grew up in White Plains, NY and then moved to Buffalo, NY to pursue my architectural studies. Upon graduation, I wanted to fulfill my dream of moving to NYC. Ever since I was little, this city inspired me through its architecture, arts, parks and diverse culture. To this day, this holds true and NYC has been the background of my architecture career the past 6 years. Recently I've transitioned my passion for thoughtful creation into the world of user experience; shifting gears from physical large-scale projects like buildings to small-scale projects like product and app design.
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I'm driven by a belief that well-researched and empathetic design can genuinely empower users and create positive ripples in the community. For me, design is a "super tool" that allows us to craft impactful user experiences, and I'm excited to keep exploring, learning, and developing new skills on this journey!
certificates & education
Google AI Essentials Certificate
online certification course
july 2025
Google UX Design Certificate
online certification course
january - may 2025
School of Architecture & Planning
University at Buffalo
buffalo, new york
masters of architecture | august 2017 - may 2019
bachelors of science in architecture | august 2013 - may 2017
experience
Magnusson Architecture & Planning​
manhattan, new york | architectural staff IV
june 2022 - february 2025
GKV Architects
manhattan, new york | junior architect - intermediate architect
february 2020 - june 2022
Student Fabrication Lab & Woodshop & Print Lab
university at buffalo | student employee
august 2017 - may 2019
TPG Architects
manhattan, new york | summer intern
summer 2018
Capital Planning At University at Buffalo
university at buffalo | student intern
february 2017 - summer 2017
skills
Technical
figma
adobe photoshop
adobe illustrator
adobe indesign
model making
rhinoceros
revit
autocad
sketchup
v-ray
enscape
arc gis maps
microsoft office
google docs
google sheets
google slides
Design
user research
user flows
wireframing
prototyping
mockups
presentations
layout
typography
iconography
color
detail-oriented
prompt engineering
ai prompting
generative ai
content creation
Collaboration
team player
gives design critique & feedback
in-person & remote capability
Languages
english
spanish
french
volunteering
Volunteering Committee
magnusson architecture & planning
june 2022 - current
Worked with non-for-profits to host events such as valentines for veterans, operation back-pack, toy for tots, and turkey food drives. I was also the design team leader for the first ever apartment makeover for a lucky resident at one of our recently completed projects.
Graduate Research Group Representative
school of architecture & planning
fall 2018 - spring 2019
Nominated student representative for Urban Design graduate research group. Attended meetings and spoke on behalf of graduate student body to create safe learning spaces that align with healthy studio culture policies with the help of faculty leadership.
Habitat for Humanity
buffalo, new york
summer 2016
Volunteer student worker with the UB school of architecture. Worked on all stages of construction for 3 residential home in a span of 3 weeks.