Ingrid Piedrahita

Ingrid Piedrahita’s first semester at FIU’s School of Architecture was marked with personal challenges that forced the mother of two to put on a brave face for her family, while undergoing intense emotional stress.

After Ingrid’s husband experienced extreme pain and swelling in his feet, which kept him from being able to walk, doctors found dangerous levels of uric acid, a chemical created by the body, in his right foot and a blood clot rising to his left knee that could have potentially jeopardized his life. During her husband’s time in recovery, Ingrid had to care for him and their small daughters, Andrea and Isabella, while keeping up with a demanding course load. She found the nights to be a good time to catch up on schoolwork, while her daughters and husband slept.

With her family’s constant motivation, Ingrid, who is the first in her family to receive a master’s degree, maintained a 3.9 GPA. She even went on to win the FIU Master Project Prize for Professor Henry Rueda’s studio titled “Rethinking Glass,” where she was challenged to create an architectural design made of only glass. During her time as an architecture student, Ingrid has shown superior skills in design software and new spatial typologies and equipment, which serve as tools for in-field and remote recording of ancient and modern architecture.

After graduation, Ingrid hopes to gain experience in the field while she is preparing for the architecture license exam.

By Jennifer Lacayo
Junior Account Manager, Office of Media Relations