ISABELLA JOSEPH

Portrait by Gilbert Santana - Courtesy of Isabella Joseph

Isabella Joseph is a recent graduate from the City College of New York (CCNY) where she completed her B.Arch degree with a minor in anthropology. Throughout her time at CCNY, she became involved in broader issues related to the built environment, from climate change to the affordable housing crisis. In addition to working in various architectural firms, including most recently Kohn Pedersen Fox, she also interned in NYCHA’s Energy and Sustainability Department – an experience that taught her the social implications of architecture. On campus, she helped revive the J. Max Bond Center for Urban Futures, CCNY’s applied urban research center, and was part of the inaugural cohort of CCNY Climate Policy Fellows. She is currently interning at Gates Ventures where she works on federal climate policy with a focus on decarbonizing the buildings industry. She was selected as CCNY's Salutatorian for the Class of 2020, the first student selected from the School of Architecture.

What influenced you to apply for Salutatorian?

Back in February, I received an email stating that I was a candidate for Valedictorian/Salutatorian. It had completely caught me off guard because it never occurred to me that I would be considered at the highest level across the entire college. Realizing that just being considered was an honor in and of itself, I tried my best throughout the whole process – from the application, interview, and eventually writing and recording my speech.

On the occasion of CCNY's Virtual Salute to Graduates, 2020 Salutatorian Isabella Joseph addresses fellow graduates.

How did you react when you were told you were going to be the first of the salutatorians of the Spitzer School of Arch?

I actually found out that I was the first unceremoniously: a member of the selection committee had mentioned it briefly in an email exchange and I don’t even think I processed it the first time I read it. I was already struggling to wrap my head around what it meant to be Salutatorian, especially in the time of COVID and eventually also America’s overdue reckoning with systemic racism. Truthfully even now, months later, I still haven’t quite processed what all of this means to me.

Isabella and several other Climate Policy Fellows with distinguished CCNY alum, General Colin Powell - Courtesy of Isabella Joseph

What was your greatest accomplishment(s)? What have you been most proud of?

Undeniably, being named Salutatorian as the first student from the School of Architecture has been my greatest accomplishment. There are so many layers of meaning within that for me. My grandparents never completed grade school and both of my immigrant parents experienced incredible hardships while becoming the first in each of their families to earn a college degree. When I think about what I was able to achieve within the span of just one generation, I become humbled by those sacrifices. There is no way I could be here writing about my greatest personal accomplishments without their quiet struggle. Bringing this accomplishment to my family acknowledges that their sacrifices were not for nothing.

I am most proud that I have earned this honor by authentically being myself, supported by the select group of people who have been there for me all along. Although it was nice to be the celebrity of the architecture school for a short-lived moment, I am proud that I earned this by staying true to my character and values, even when it wasn’t always easy.

“You've been paid for by people who never even saw your face. Your mother's mother, your father's father. And so it behooves you to prepare yourself so you can pay for someone else yet to come. Whose name you'll never know. You just keep the good thing going.” – Maya Angelou in an interview with Oprah Winfrey from 2013 - Courtesy of Isabella Joseph.

Isabella with her parents on Graduation Day - Courtesy of Isabella Joseph

What challenges have you overcome as a student?

Anyone who went through five years of architecture school knows that none of it was ever easy. I have pushed my body, mentally and physically, more than I ever have and ever should (even though the glorified unhealthy work habits of architecture school tell us otherwise.) I also don’t think just “surviving” these five years means that I’ve overcome this challenge. In the years ahead, I hope to prioritize a more balanced version of myself.

Self-doubt and imposter syndrome are two challenges I have personally struggled with. I grew up as a first-generation American in a predominantly white suburb where I was often one of the only people of color in a room; the subtleties of white privilege are something I am acutely aware of. What keeps me optimistic, especially in the middle of this pandemic and the current racial unrest, is knowing that there is growing consensus that the current way of doing things is not working and needs to change. To me, just being able to openly discussing my challenges on this platform feels like progress because now someone else might be able to see themselves in parts of my story.

Model of Awol Erizku Art Museum designed by Isabella Joseph in Advanced Studio with Professor Pranlas-Descours - Courtesy of Isabella Joseph

How do you define success?

Success is when I use my innate abilities and genuine passion to create meaningful impact beyond myself.

Isabella with the recreational soccer team she coached with South Bronx United, a volunteer organization that uses soccer to engage immigrant and first-generation youth. - Courtesy of Isabella Joseph.

What advice would you give to the next generation of minority women starting in Design?

Seek out the stories of women that inspire you, within the profession and outside of it, anywhere and everywhere, through every means possible (ie. in music, books, lectures, writing, etc.) This is how you can situate yourself within a continuum of strong women and realize you never are alone. For all of us who will be paid and promoted less than a man for the same work, there were women who were fired for being “too good” at their jobs or openly sexually harassed. It is our obligation to those earlier women that remind us to continue the fight for the ones who come after us. To me, situating ourselves within this continuum is the important first step.

In Spring 2018, Isabella moderated a panel discussion on the intersectionality of racism, ageism, and sexism in the architectural profession. The event was hosted by the Women in Design committee of the CCNY Architecture Alumni Group - Courtesy of Isabella Joseph