The founders of ASTERISK. From left to right: Kayla Castro, Ezinneka Emeh, Mohamad Annous, and Karin Najarian.
Happy Women’s History Month from Woodbury School of Architecture! Earlier this month, we connected with ASTERISK, a student-led organization here at the school with a mission to uncover the many hidden figures in the architectural story. Karin Najarian, Ezinneka Emeh, Mohamad Annous, and Kayla Castro are all third-year students in our Bachelor of Architecture program. They have been going strong for quite some time now, with the guidance and championing of their Faculty Advisor, Aaron Gensler.
Jane Jacobs research slide. Courtesy of ASTERISK.
Architecture Faculty Sean Joyner interviewed the four students on behalf of the school for his blog on Archinect. Titled When Students Challenge the Eurocentric Bias in Architectural Discourse, the piece dives deep into ASTERISK’s journey, their lessons-learned, and what it’s like to lead a rigorous research-driven initiative with a busy student schedule.
“Students need to show initiative in expanding the narrative to include figures that don’t fit into the Eurocentric paradigm,” the group shared with Sean. “Ultimately, we want the NAAB curriculum to expand and include the full scope of architectural history.” ASTERISK is currently working with Woodbury SoA administration to bring ASTERISK into the curriculum of the school.
Rosa Mayreder research slide. Courtesy of ASTERISK.
On March 12th, Woodbury University held a Wiki Edit-a-thon to honor women in our community who have promoted women’s advancement by highlighting their achievements. “Wikipedia editors are predominantly male, and many of the accomplished women in the Woodbury community are not represented,” said Dean Wahlroos-Ritter of the Edit-a-thon event, of which she was a part of organizing.
The March 12th event generated several draft Wikipedia pages that include:
- Architect and designer Christina Hernandez.
- Dean of Woodbury’s School of Business Joan Marques, Ph.D., Ed.D.
- Former Woodbury University President Dora E. Kirby.
Learn more about Woodbury’s events, resources, and stories for Women’s History Month by visiting our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion page.