Putting people before buildings
MIT senior Tiandra Ray views her field of study — architecture — as less about buildings and more about the people who use them. Growing up in Queens, New York, and on Long Island with strong ties to her local church, her life’s focus has always faced outward, on serving communities — a perspective that’s ever-present in the design work she does today. “My goal is to solve problems,” she says. “I believe that aesthetics and beauty have to go hand-in-hand with functionality, and I want to know how a space I design will affect people’s lives and their communities.” Ray’s specialty within architecture is computational design, which hinges on 3-D modeling and digital fabrication. She chose this track because she wanted a flexible learning environment, and computational design would allow her to work with computers, as well as build things with her hands. As someone who perennially extends herself across far-reaching...