Maria Flores

When Maria Flores was 11, her father was robbed at gunpoint in Venezuela. Her family packed their bags and moved to the United States with only four suitcases, some money, and no plan of returning.

Coming to the U.S. with a clean slate, Maria was encouraged to “dream big” by her parents – and she did. She quickly learned English, became a straight-A high school student, and earned a full scholarship to FIU.

She enrolled in FIU’s architecture program and continued to push boundaries. During her junior year, Maria founded The Archi|ologist, a platform for architecture students worldwide that includes digital and print media journals, a website, and a blog. The platform currently has thousands of subscribers.

In 2018, Maria earned a professional Master of Architecture degree at FIU. She then returned to complete her second master’s degree while continuing to work as the director of The Archi|ologist. Maria also joined the FIU family as a faculty member, teaching design and graphic communication to first- and second-year architecture students.

Maria earned her post-professional Master of Arts in Architecture to expand her research on urban resilience in Miami and prepare for a career in urban design and architecture. After graduation, she plans to work in a local architecture firm while also teaching design on the side. She then plans to apply to Harvard or MIT to earn another degree in urban planning or technology.