My name is Dajia Y. Dominguez, and I am an Afro-Latina woman pursuing a dual Master of Architecture I Advanced Placement and Master of Real Estate Development and Urbanism at the University of Miami. As someone from a background rarely reflected in the architecture industry, I’m passionate about challenging boundaries and expanding what’s possible through design. My path is fueled by resilience, curiosity, and the belief that architecture can be a tool for justice, inclusion, and transformation. Through my education and my volunteer work with ArcScholars, I’ve come to embody Luminaut’s values: humble yet hungry, focused yet fun, super yet human. My time with ArcScholars, a nonprofit introducing underrepresented high school students to architecture, taught me the value of showing up as both a guide and a listener. As a mentor, I led design-thinking workshops and supported students in expressing their ideas through models and drawings. It was powerful to witness young creatives imagine themselves in spaces where they’d historically been excluded. That experience reinforced a core belief: that leadership begins with humility—listening, supporting, and encouraging others to grow—and is driven by hunger for knowledge, opportunity, and progress. ArcScholars deepened my drive to lead not just through skill, but through visibility and community engagement. Whether I’m in a studio, a classroom, or a mentorship space, I bring purpose and playfulness to the work. With ArcScholars, I helped students see design not as rigid, but as expressive and accessible. That same mindset shapes my own academic journey. I’m focused on addressing climate-related design challenges through sustainable solutions, such as integrating hempcrete, a regenerative material ideal for tropical and coastal regions. But even while tackling serious global issues, I bring joy and curiosity to the process. Creativity thrives in environments where people feel empowered—and I intend to cultivate that feeling wherever I work. As a designer, I’m committed to pushing boundaries—not for recognition, but to create real impact. My work focuses on merging sustainability, affordability, and inclusive design in ways that anticipate the environmental and social realities of our time. But “super” doesn’t mean perfect—it means grounded in purpose and elevated by empathy. I care deeply about the people and communities I serve. Whether I’m working with classmates or mentoring students, I lead with kindness, collaboration, and respect. Architecture is not just about shaping buildings—it’s about shaping lives. Sallie Rowland’s journey as a pioneering woman in the architecture and design field deeply resonates with me. Like her, I am forging my way in a space where I’ve often been “the only one”—and like her, I am driven by vision and determination to open doors for those who come after me. I am inspired by her courage and legacy, and I carry that spirit into every project I touch. The Sallie Rowland/Luminaut scholarship would provide the support I need to continue pursuing this mission. Financially, it would allow me to focus fully on research, mentorship, and professional development. Personally, it would affirm that women like me belong in this field—as designers, leaders, and innovators. With your support, I will continue to embody the Luminaut values and help build a more equitable, resilient future through design.

Architecture is more than the creation of buildings; it’s a means of shaping human experience, addressing social inequality, and responding to pressing environmental challenges. Through the dual Master of Architecture I Advanced Placement and Master of Real Estate Development and Urbanism program at the University of Miami, I aim to explore how innovative construction practices, sustainable materials, and community-centered design can redefine how we build. This path will empower me to shape the future of construction by prioritizing resilience, inclusivity, and environmental responsibility in the built environment. One area I hope to focus on is the use of hemp-based materials, particularly hempcrete, as a sustainable solution in construction. Hempcrete is carbon-sequestering, provides high insulation, and strengthens over time. Its resistance to mold and humidity makes it ideal for coastal climates facing increasingly extreme weather events and rising sea levels. By researching and testing this material in tropical environments, I want to contribute to a shift in how we think about construction, from short-term fixes to long-term, regenerative approaches. My ultimate goal is to establish an architectural design firm focused on climate-resilient, inclusive spaces. I envision projects that respond to environmental risks while uplifting underserved communities; spaces that are affordable, adaptive, and sustainable. This vision stems from my undergraduate work, where I developed design concepts ranging from intergenerational public housing to transforming parking lots into biodiverse green spaces. These academic experiences taught me how to balance form with function while keeping community needs at the center. Beyond school, I volunteered with an architecture-based nonprofit dedicated to sustainable community development. My dedication led to an internship, where I gained hands-on experience and saw how design must work in tandem with policy, development, and community engagement. That experience confirmed my belief that innovation in construction isn’t just technical, it’s human-centered, grounded in empathy, and driven by thoughtful collaboration. The University of Miami’s program is uniquely positioned to help me achieve this mission. Its emphasis on environmental resilience, research, and Miami’s distinct urban challenges creates an ideal environment for testing and developing climate-adaptive construction strategies. I’m excited to engage with design studios, explore material innovation, and study the intersections between development and sustainability through the MRED+U curriculum. Receiving this scholarship would be a transformative step in helping me achieve my goals. Financially, it would allow me to dedicate more time to research, internships, and hands-on projects rather than worrying about the cost of my education. Academically, it would enable me to pursue in-depth exploration of sustainable materials and construction methods without compromise. Professionally, it would open doors to networks, conferences, and collaborations that are essential for growing as both a designer and a future business owner. Most importantly, it would affirm that my vision, to use design as a tool for environmental and social good, is supported and valued. Ultimately, I want to lead a career that makes architecture part of the solution to our greatest challenges. Through material innovation, sustainable construction practices, and inclusive design, I hope to influence not just what we build, or how, but who we build it for. This dual degree, paired with the support of this scholarship, will provide the foundation I need to help move the construction industry toward a more just and resilient future.

I’m an Artist. By definition, that makes me a work in progress. I’m only 19 and, already, I can’t even count the number of times my dreams and aspirations have changed within my lifetime. I’ve wanted to be the first female president, a marine biologist, and now I want to be an architect. To me, my occupational and personal goals have layered upon each other to form who I am becoming. It takes the whole life span, even death, to truly figure out whom you have become. At the solemn age of 12, I received drastic news that my father had passed away from kidney and liver failure. This major turning point developed multiple negative impacts on my physical and mental health, yet made me push myself harder to reach my goals. My parents have always wanted me “to be better than them.” Since both of my parents graduated from college with Master degrees, it has always been expected that I achieve a higher education. I took that expectation and molded goals for myself to be successful. As I’ve experienced tragedies and triumphs, the need to have text in my artwork has increased. The use of words has deeply integrated itself into my work, and has twisted its roots within my own life. I started using text in my work after reading “For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf” by the late Ntozake Shange, and I soaked up every last bit of movement, song, dance, and story from the book. I related to every woman’s story, and my own work started to morph into more poetic and seductive artworks as I absorbed all of Shange’s words through every nerve in my body. The color scheme of my pieces were parallel to the colors associated with the women in the book, and it symbolizes their own journey of who they were becoming. Ntozake protested against the ignorance of society with her books, activism, and plays, and it has candidly ignited this atomic bomb of activism within myself as I’ve grown a familiarity with racial injustices, murder, social issues and politics. I relate to Ms. Ntozake Shange in the sense that we both want to become our own person, and not be apologetic about it. That is who Ntozake Shange became, unapologetic, and I intend to do just the same. In a mostly male dominated field, you don't see a lot of female architects. It's astonishingly rare to see a Black Female Architect striving with her own firm in Dallas. Charyl McAfee-Duncan is the principal architect at McAfee3 Architects, and known for her “diverse design and planning portfolio”. As a dutiful member of the American Institute of Architects (AIA), McAfee-Duncan is constantly giving back to her community, and representing the few Black Female Architects everywhere she goes. Similar to another Female Architect, Zaha Hadid was an eclectic Architect from Iraq. Her pieces were known for their “virtuosic construction, its architectural ideology, and its sheer magnetic presence”. Hadid carried this nonconformist existence that flipped the switch to a lightbulb moment for myself that has caused me to want to create spaces that are not generic, and carry an original presence. All together, these Artists and Architects have or are becoming whom they were meant to be. I intend to become me, and use my platform to inspire people like me to do whatever makes them become who they are meant to be. I don't know exactly who exactly I am supposed to become, but I’m ready.

My name is Dajia Y. Dominguez. I am a current sophomore at The New School Parsons School of Design in New York City. I am majoring in architecture with a fine arts background. Speaking of family, I define community as family. We argue, we discuss, we cry, and we love. It’s a social unit that comes together whenever to discuss topics and to experience everything together. When one falls, we all come to pick them up, and that’s what makes my community my family. Since my community is my family, I have taken the action of forming the organization, Young Artists for Abolition or YAFA or short. This organization was formed after a protest where most of the organizers including myself were detained on a bridge for hours in response to police brutality. From this experience, I decided to organize a rally for artists like myself to express how they were feeling through music, poetry, and art. I called it “Rally For Change.” I was supported by high school, multiple businesses, and different organizations to put my vision into fruition. We had an amazing turnout for our first rally, and we had our second one on July 4th, where there was an even bigger turnout. With the first rally, I invited multiple voting registration organizations to register my peers and even myself for the 2020 election. The impact on myself was realizing what I do truly makes a change. It added a new sense of hope, and it fueled a fire that was already inside of me to burn more. The impact inspired me to continue my activist work but from a different medium. I have used art activism as my main voice during these times, but it's something I wouldn’t have thought of until I had created YAFA. For my community, it showed that we are still fighting. We will always be fighting until we get the job done. It showed that the younger people want to make a change, and we are willing to end this long and tired battle that our ancestors fought in. As an Afro Latina woman in America, I am faced by the conscious and unconscious racism of America everyday. I have to wonder if my little black brother will be able to make it home from school without looking like a suspect to a police officer. I have to be aware of the fact that because of the color of my skin color, I am seen as a threat. It’s a long and tiresome life, that 76.3% of the United States doesn’t have to face. Don’t get me wrong, everyone has their issues and their own oppressions. This isn’t a competition of who has it the worst, but the reason I continue my work within my community and other communities is because I am tired. I am tired of the microaggressions. I am tired of the fighting. I am tired of the arguing. It’s draining, but in order to make a change, you have to continue working hard to make this change. My hopes for my community is to continue my work with Young Artists For Abolition within my college. I like to hope that my community can grow and prosper as our daily lives change right in front of our faces. I think it’s deeply ironic to talk about a problem without trying to make a solution. So, my solution is to educate the ignorant people of America, and replace the people in office with people from the community.

Trans- Disciplinary Artist // Problem Solver // Creator I forage for ways to unearth the complex attributes of life and humanity. I defy social, political, and racial prejudices, line by line, brush stroke by brush stroke, word by word. Every piece of mine has a specific story to tell. There is a personal sentiment that is ignited by the sensible words of authors. Within my pieces, there are subliminal hints to books that have inspired me. Two books that have substantially influenced my work. The late Ntozake Shange’s For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide / When the Rainbow Is Enuf inspired the color scheme of my pieces to be parallel to the colors associated with the women in the book to symbolize their own journey of who they were becoming. The second being Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. The words he so meticulously chose unhinges my imagination and creation. My art has continuously had a subliminal message of becoming. Becoming me, becoming a woman, becoming a man, becoming aligned in the domino effect of who I am supposed to become.