Vázquez of FXFOWLE: Important to be active in your career path

Name: Cristina Rodriguez Vázquez, LEED AP Title: Architectural Designer Company Name: FXFOWLE Follow my company on Twitter @FXFOWLE What year did you start your career in commercial real estate: 2008 Real Estate Associations/Organizations: Associate AIA What recent project or transaction are you most proud of? The Vision Plan for the Ethical Culture Fieldston School. It was an exploration on the future of education and how architecture can enhance learning environments. What recent honor, achievement or recognition has meant the most to you and why? The ACEC honored FXFOWLE and Dagher Engineers with an award for the Al Jamea campus in Nairobi, Kenya. This expansive campus was the product of years of collaboration between engineers and designers. It the largest project I've been involved with and is currently under construction. Who or what has been the strongest influence on your career and why? Reaching out to mentors. I've learned that it's important to actively participate in your career path. People rarely ask for what they want, you would be surprised how much you'll get once you ask. What is the first thing you do when you arrive in the office in the morning? I read the First Draft on Politics from the NYT. What is the best advice you have received and who was it from? My first year of undergrad I wanted to change my major, and a professor urged me to stay in Architecture-why wait to do something you love? It was the moment I decided to become an Architect. List 3 women that you would like to have drinks / dinner with and where would you go? Madeleine Albright, Mindy Kaling and Audrey Hepburn, we would have dessert and coffee at Laduree. What did you want to be when you grew up? A chemist or geologist.