MELISSA NIEVES

Melissa Nieves is an Architectural Associate/Designer at the Port Authority of NY & NJ. She graduated from New Jersey Institute of Technology in 2019. Melissa received both, Bachelors and Masters, in Architecture with a Concentration in Infrastructure Planning. As an advocate for diversity, she re-founded NJIT’s National Organization of Minority Architecture Students and served as President for 3 years. She is also owner and founder of Measured Design + Studio.

Being a Puerto Rican and first-generation college student, how did your identity shape your career development at New Jersey Institute of Technology?

Growing up in a low-income neighborhood to a single mother, there was a lack of exposure to what my future could actually entail. Being a first-generation college student came with indescribable challenges. So, when it was time to enter college, it was a different environment that I had to learn rapidly. It was important that I learned to create my own paths and opportunities in order to succeed. Working hard, I involved myself in organizations such as the NJIT Albert Dorman Honors College, NOMAS, National Society of Collegiate Scholars, Educational Opportunity Program, and much more. These were the important factors that helped shape my career development by giving myself opportunities, gaining guidance, and additional education.

Model-Making. - Courtesy of Melissa Nieves.

You re-founded the NJIT NOMAS Chapter, how did you use the organization to provide resources to other minorities studying architecture?

National Organization of Minority Architects/Architecture Students has been an organization that provided opportunity, hope, and change within architecture for the minority group. As a Latina woman who sees the strong divide and lack of diversity, I felt that it was my duty and calling to be able to make a difference and provide encouragement and give strength to those who need it. It is important to provide the minority architecture class with the support that they need to achieve greatness, not only in school, but also in their future as designers. Re-founding the NJIT chapter began to open the doors I needed in order to provide the students with the support desired. The chapters started allowing them to...

Connect with other minorities in a safe space
Provide students with direct access to professionals and professional development
Provide our members with scholarships and awards created on behalf of NJIT NOMAS
Events such as Black History Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Women's History Month, Mental Awareness Events, and so much more.
Connect students to other Professional/Student Chapters and Local Organizations
And just a place to talk about LIFE

NOMAS NJIT - Courtesy of Melissa Nieves.

As a minority women, we understand the lack of architectural exposure and resources to the younger generation, how did you begin to change that?

Alongside the organization, there were other possibilities for us to get involved with the younger generation. Unfortunately a lot of children in the public school system lack access and education in STEM fields and Architecture/Design majors. NOMA has a direct mentorship program called Project Pipeline where we host camps for young students to begin to explore and learn more about STEM and Architecture/Design. We, as professionals or college students, provide the bridging of this enormous gap. This year, 2020, our camp is virtual but still moving forward! NJIT NOMA also participated with the “Schools that Can” in Newark, NJ, where we held a design day with local students to begin their journey in architecture. I also served as an Architectural Teacher’s Assistant for incoming college freshmen to prepare them prior to entering college. I know growing up, I struggled to understand what it was that I wanted to do. I knew that I loved to build stuff, but due to the lack of exposure, it took me a while to truly figure it out. This also set me back and challenged me when I entered architecture school since I had no idea what architecture truly was. I want to provide the younger generation with information that I did not have access to.

Throughout studio projects and competitions, how did you implement creative ideas to prevent gentrification and allow more opportunities for lower-income minorities?

One of my biggest accomplishments was creating a studio of 26 students (record breaking) around the NOMA National Competition. The project was located in East Flatbush, Brooklyn, New York, where the topic was to tackle gentrification issues, provide housing for low income with amenities in a culturally rich area. We designed in ways that catered to the historical population. I felt that it was necessary to create a studio around this because it is rare that Architecture school incorporate real life issues in a studio setting. This gave us the opportunity to begin broadening the palette of design.

Not only this, but I also took an infrastructure studio that worked in collaboration with the City of Newark’s Office of Planning and Zoning in the Department of Economic and Housing Development to create a foundation for the future masterplan. Working holistically and synthetically, the studio helped map the existing downtown conditions, develop spatial frameworks to guide development, model different form-based development scenarios, and design implementable, early-phase demonstration projects that catalyze the framework plans. We also created a 9 feet 3d printed model, now sitting in City Hall, of downtown Newark, where I was one the primarily facilitator and creator of the effort.

Congratulations on being the selected Architectural Associate for The Port Authority of NY & NJ! How did you incorporate your values of championing diversity within the architectural and design field in the workplace?

Now that I have graduated from NJIT and moved forward in my professional career, I also began to challenge my work place. With the current social injustices of black and brown people, I created an internal Black Lives Matter committee, not only to see how we can participate, but also to have tough conversations. Since I also joined the professional chapter of NOMA, I also get to be involved and mention our efforts in my current workspace. The question we tend to refer back to is, ”How can we create a more diverse workplace and pave the way for minorities?”

Melissa on Site. - Courtesy of Melissa Nieves.

MELISSA NIEVES

LEAN FATHI

AISHA JANKI AKINOLA