At MOA, I have the opportunity to work on projects that are personally meaningful to me. My first project at MOA was Traverse Academy, a school for students who are experiencing a mental health crisis. I loved getting to consider how the design of a building could meet these students in each of their individual experiences and be an environment where they could feel safe but also challenged to grow. I've also worked on Fletcher Miller School, a school for students with multiple and significant disabilities. While designing Fletcher Miller, I had time to learn how people with disabilities experience and interact with the built environment so I could better design the building specifically for them. MOA's experience in K-12 education and healthcare makes them uniquely qualified to design "special" schools and I am grateful to be a part of this experience!

Fletcher Miller School is one of my favorite MOA proejcts. Throughout this design process, I learned so much about the challenges that people with disabilities face when interacting with the built environment. This project has transformed my design mindset from simply meeting requirements to enabling people to meet their fullest potential.