My focus is on sustainable urban design and landscape architecture. I have taken several architecture and urban design studio classes and have built a beginner’s toolbox of design skills, both analog and digital. Last summer, I attended the Let’s Build a Beautiful City program at Int/Bau in Utrecht, Netherlands, a design and traditional architecture intensive in urban sustainable design. I am currently working on a capstone project (thesis) about a Chicago neighborhood and the effect of a current Chicago Transportation Authority project.

I am a strong writer, editor and video editor and am passionate about the arts, with a particular interest in the visual/fine arts. I have completed several art/design courses dealing with urban and environmental topics such as an urban film-studies class and an architectural journalism class. My writing on place has been published in Expositions, an on-campus environmental and urban studies magazine.

At Expositions Magazine I am deeply involved with the graphics and production teams. I am a staff illustrator for The Chicago Maroon, FireBird, and Expositions magazines and work with Outside the Lines, an on-campus illustration RSO. As an illustrator, I've tackled diverse topics such as the influence of the British Raj on modern space and the impact of global shipping. In my junior year, I created a master plan of an utopian floating city for my creative urban design studio course, which I presented publicly.

I was born in Rome and grew up on a sailboat, circumnavigating the planet with my family, which gives me an uniquely international perspective. I've spent extended time in large urban megacities like Singapore and Jakarta, as well as in remote rural villages in Vanuatu and Papua New Guinea. I speak Italian and studied abroad in Bologna.

Education

The University of Chicago Chicago, IL

June 2024

Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies and minor in Architectural Studies

Relevant Coursework: Sustainable Urban Development, Intro to GIS, People in Motion: Rethinking Transit

Study Abroad: University of Bologna, Architecture and Italian Studies (Fall 2023)

Summer Program: IntBau Traditional Architecture Summer School in Utrecht, Netherlands (Summer 2023)

Homeschool/Worldschool Sailing Vessel: Dafne

June 2018- August 2020

Diploma; GPA: 3.9/4.0

Oxbridge Academic Programs Oxford, England

Summer 2019

Physics for the Future; ‘Student of the Year’ award

St. Andrews School Middletown, DE

September 2016 - June 2018

Work Experience

University of Chicago Architecture Department Chicago, IL

January 2024 – present

Research Assistant

  • Teaching assistant at After School Matters working with teens aged 13-18. 

  • Assisting with gathering data and interviews on the Rogers Park neighborhood and the CTA red line renovation.

Cicero Learning Global, remote

June 2023 - present

Illustrator/Design Consultant

  • Produced 20 illustrations in Procreate for the brand, supporting the marketing efforts of the education start-up.

  • Collaborated with the creative director to hone the Cicero brand across the website and social media platforms.

University of Chicago Committee on Environment, Geography and Urbanization/CEGU Chicago, IL

June 2022 - June 2023

Project Communications and Design Intern

  • Designed, built and published, using Wordpress and HTML, the official website for Expositions Magazine, the magazine of CEGU dedicated to urban sustainability and the evolution of cities.

  • Organized academic speaker events, meet-ups and launches, designed brand and publicity graphics to promote events, and shot and edited photography content documenting them.

  • Member of the graphics team in charge of producing and publishing Expositions Magazine using Photoshop, Indesign, and Illustrator to produce seven hardcopy issues to date.

Executive Advisory Chicago, IL

September 2021 - present

Communications/Content Creation Assistant

  • Created marketing graphics for the company websites and conducted the necessary research for those graphics.

  • Worked in Salesforce, Excel and Google sheets to manage and organize customer and prospect data.

University of Chicago, Harris School of Public Policy Chicago, IL

March - September 2021

Admissions Intern

  • Interviewed and profiled Harris students, leading to new student profiles on the admissions blog and website.

S.V. Dafne Global, remote

January 2018 - September 2020

Content Creator and Brand Manager

  • Filmed and edited all video content on lifestyle and education YouTube channel.

  • Managed social media including Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, TikTok, and website.

  • Designed logos and merchandise.

Leadership & Activities

  • Illustrator for The Chicago Maroon, FireBird, and Expositions Magazine. (The University of Chicago)

  • Founder and leader of St. Andrews School’s Sailing Club. Organized and promoted all events using email blasts and facebook groups.

  • St. Andrews School Environmental Leader.

  • Conservation International, Manta Trust and Sumbawa whale shark tagging volunteer. (Raja Ampat, Indonesia)

Skills

  • Adobe Creative Suite: Photoshop, Illustrator, Procreate, InDesign, Premiere Pro, Lightroom 

  • Google Suite, Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, Powerpoint) Salesforce, QGIS, Geoda, R, HTML/CSS

  • Social Media/Writing

  • Illustrator and Visual Artist

  • SCUBA advanced certification, Wave 1 freediver, CPR and First Aid certified, certified sailing instructor

  • Advanced Italian and intermediate Spanish