Professional Profile: Kara Shypula, 2014

Name: Kara Shypula Title: Project Coordinator Company: Hoffmann Architects Location: New York, N.Y. Place of Birth: Longmeadow, MA Family: My Mom and three younger sisters - Alison, Dana, and Kristen College: University of Hartford First job unrelated to your current field: Retail First job in current field: Architectural Intern at The S/L/A/M Collaborative What your firm does now and its plans for the future: Hoffmann Architects specializes in the rehabilitation of building exteriors. Hoffmann Architects diagnoses and resolves deterioration within facades, roofs, plazas/terraces, parking garages and historic/landmark structures. Hobbies: Running (NYC Marathon '11, Brooklyn Half '12,'13), drawing/painting, snowboarding, and boxing. Favorite novel: "The Alchemist" and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" Favorite film: "Finding Nemo" and "Dumb and Dumber" Keys to success: Be persistent, be confident, and always remember to smile Person(s) you most admire: I most admire my family and friends. They inspire and challenge me every day to become the best version of myself. If you had to choose a different profession, what would it be? In second grade, I drew a building and said to my dad, "This is what I want to do for the rest of my life." He explained that architects design buildings and I could be an architect. Since then, I knew this was my passion. I'm happy to say I'm living my childhood dream.