Caught in the middle: A student and a teacher
- La Voz Latina
- 6 days ago
- 2 min read
Escrito por: Dulce Ortiz 🇬🇹
Being the only daughter and the middle child of her Salvadoran family has shaped Jennifer Mangandi-Sibrian into the person she is today.
Due to her parents’ demanding jobs, she often acted as a mother and a teacher to her younger brother. Mangandi-Sibrian was also very creative, smart, and motivated. She excelled in art and math, something her fourth-grade teacher noticed, suggesting she consider architecture as a future career.
As a first-generation student, she came to UMD through the College Park Arts Scholars program and pursued architecture under the bachelor of science track. Por estos programas, sintió que podía expresarse en maneras que jamás había hecho.
She began working with professors in several architecture courses as a teaching assistant. Eventually, she became a student ambassador and peer mentor for the department. Al ver cómo esto reflejaba sus métodos de enseñanza anteriores con su hermano, sintió orgullo y sorpresa.
“It's kind of like a full circle kind of thing, but it's now in the context of architecture,” she said.
Through her classes, Mangandi-Sibrian discovered her interest in building typologies that focus on rehabilitation. She always considered the environmental factors of particular living conditions, such as residential homes, healthcare facilities, and prison establishments.
She said, “Surprisingly enough, you hear from so many different professionals that ask, ‘Why are you worried about the people? Just make the building’. And I'm like, ‘How can I make the building unless I know what the people using the building want?’”
It wasn’t until her third year at UMD when she began to feel isolated within her Latina identity. Para encontrar su comunidad, she joined the Latinx Student Union.
“When I was feeling kind of down in terms of diversity, and there weren't that many people that I feel like I connect to or make stupid Spanglish jokes to in studio, I realized that there were other resources on campus that could give me that,” she said.
Since then, she has also joined Latinx Architects United and is the current president of Women in Architecture.
Through the challenge of finding her community, she has also felt that the financial burden of attending a university has restricted her full potential.
“The financial aspect of it is always what’s holding me back from taking risks,” she said. “It’s kind of [about] finding that balance of realism and allowing yourself to dream.”
La mayor inspiración de Mangandi-Sibrian es su mamá, quien le mostró la importancia de ayudar a su comunidad e incorporó esta idea a sus metas futuras. After graduation, she plans to attend graduate school before getting to her end goal of licensure as an architect under her dream building typologies.
Despite her studies being a demanding experience, she reassures herself, saying, “It won’t be easy if it’s worth it.”
“Nunca te rindas por tus sueños.” - Alvaro Mangandi
Commentaires