Event Recap- Intersections- Conversations for the Architecturally Curious
Speakers: Jennifer Garcia- LBAN- Interim CEO
Mariana Alvarez Parga- AIA, LEED AP, Principal Architect at 19six Architects
Elian Savodivker- LBAN- Director of Engagement
Sponsored by: American Institute of Architects Silicon valley (AIASV)
Women in Architecture (WIA)
LBAN- Latino Business Action Network
CC2C- Community College to Careers
Location: Zoom Meeting
Date: February 24th, 2021
Time: 6:00pm-7:30pm
Blog By: Christopher Pouliot (Board Student Liaison)
Event Overview
The first of five WIA speaker events of the year, “Advancing Your Entrepreneurial Potential,” featured Elian Savodivker, LBAN Director of Engagement; Jennifer Garcia, LBAN Interim CEO; and Mariana Alvarez-Parga, AIA, Principal at 19-six Architects. Elian Savodivker introduced the mission of LBAN and its work of supporting Latino business owners in the United States. In the second part of the event, Mariana Alvarez Parga and Jennifer Garcia engaged in a fireside chat focused on architects and student’s career growth and potential for entrepreneurship. At the end of the event, the speakers opened the room for Q and A and the students had the opportunity to mingle with the architects and other professionals.
LBAN Presentation
In the first presentation of the night, Elian Savodivker introduced us to Latino Business Action Network (LBAN). LBAN is a nonprofit organization whose purpose is to strengthen the United States by improving the lives of Latinos. In this presentation, we learned the importance of supporting Latino business growth. One of the most important points we learned was that Latinos create businesses much faster than all other demographics in the US, but only 2-3% of those businesses scale, defined at $1m in revenue or greater. LBAN’s goal is to double the number of $10+ million, $100+ million, $1+ billion Latino-owned businesses in the U.S. by 2025. LBAN collaborates with Stanford University to champion the Stanford Latino Entrepreneurship Initiative (SLEI). SLEI-Education is an eight-week executive online course. LBAN staff and Stanford professors lead qualifying entrepreneurs through a mentorship process. This process includes setting business-scaling goals, creating incremental steps for attaining those goals, and mentoring. Among other programs LBAN provides are the National Ecosystem Development, which cultivates a network for Latinos in the US and Puerto Rico, and the State of Latino Entrepreneurship, which is an annual study of the state of Latino businesses in the US.
The Fireside Chat
The fireside chat between Mariana Alvarez-Parga and Jennifer Garcia had some very encouraging gems for students and professionals alike. Among these were:
“If you aren't growing, you’re dying”
“Ask for help before needing it”
“Jump and grow wings on the way down”
Mariana and Jennifer talked about their experiences within LBAN and their respective organizations, and gave advice on becoming successful. They stressed the importance of mentorship, networking, and growth. Mentorship and networking are simple strategies for success because you can't have success without them. Growth stood out as the most important part of success though. Growth is key for staying relevant in the profession and for self motivation. It struck a chord with me when Jennifer talked about how feeling comfortable with where you are at in your career can lead to complacency. “If you aren't growing, you’re dying”.Mariana and Jennifer also talked about how important it is to continue to learn and improve even if you are comfortable where you are.
Other important topics discussed in this section of the presentation included the importance of mentorship and how to identify and work with a mentor. Mentorship is important because it gives you a guide to refer to whenever you feel you've reached stagnation in your career and don't know how to move forward. They provide encouragement, challenge you, give perspective, and push you. Networking was also stressed. In Mariana’s experience with networking through the WIA, she discovered her place among like-minded people where she felt included. The WIA helped her by sharing lessons in navigating various systems. LBAN then gave her a broader insight into business practices and helped her feel like she was not working in a vacuum. The takeaway: Networks give support, courage, and a platform for experimentation.
How do you get a mentor?
-Network! Explore your connections.
-Look for somebody who is attentive to your passions.
-Does the person give fitting advice?
-Keep in contact, and continue to show up!
Conclusion
The event ended with a Q and A where students asked how to find a mentor, build a network, and get hired. The most salient answers to these questions included: volunteering, showing up, attending events, and reaching out. We also discussed how to analyze prospective jobs: if the firms hold similar values and create opportunities to achieve our desired goals; and included advice to communicate within your networks to learn what you can about the opportunities you are looking into. Overall, this first part of the speaker series was very informative and put the career of architecture into greater perspective for me. I’m excited to participate in the next of the series soon! It was wonderful to have the opportunity to talk face to face with professionals I don't get the opportunity to speak within the class, the board, and chapter meetings.