Leonardo Sanchez is a recent pursuer of the field of Architecture and has adapted well to this new endeavor. After over thirty years in the field of graphic design, coupled with almost 10 years’ prior experience as a Design Professor, he made the conscious decision to reinvent himself and set into motion a new career in Architecture. This journey began with foundational architecture courses at two local community colleges and within a year he enrolled and was accepted into the M.S. “Design of Cities” postgraduate degree program with Southern California Institute of Architecture (SCIARC) located in the Art’s District just Northeast of Downtown Los Angeles.
Before completing this accelerated program, he applied to M-Arch I program, also at SCIARC and was accepted. As a result, he graduated on a Sunday, and the following day began the Master’s in Architecture program where he is about to complete his first year and is excelling in all his courses.
All the while, he has been an active member of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). Through this program, he has volunteered with both the NOMAS Summer Camp and the Bootcamp programs, where he has participated in helping inspire young minds from both grade school and high school, steering them toward a potential career choice also in architecture. The best part of it all is he is a recipient of NOMA’s full scholarship. We look forward to seeing where he takes this amazing opportunity.
SoCal NOMA seeks to advance and support the education and careers of those who have been historically underrepresented in the field of architecture. Members include architects, designers, civil engineers, structural engineers, interior designers, urban planners and product manufacturers.