Cheyenne is a current Master of Architecture candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, having just graduated from the University of Virginia with a Bachelor of Science in Pre-Professional Architecture in 2021. She is of Chamorro and Filipino descent, born in Saipan of the Northern Mariana Islands and raised in the mainland U.S. just outside of Washington D.C. Coming from these dual landscapes of a fourteen by five mile long island in the Pacific versus a metropolitan area, she has been exposed to incredibly diverse natural, built, and socioeconomic environments. It is her unique upbringing to which she attributes her continuing curiosity about how design influences people from different walks of life as well as how it affects the natural environment in which it intervenes. This curiosity has sustained throughout her architectural studies thus far as her studio projects have naturally gravitated towards sustainable design efforts to simultaneously promote both cultural and environmental resilience.
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, US, Student Research Assistant
Conducting research for the HOUSING JUSTICE FUTURES: Philadelphia Forum on Design, Race, and Climate Change, focusing on housing insecurity through the lens of racial equity and environmental justice
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, US, Laser Operator
Manage laser cutters within the digital fabrication lab for student academic projects
JKRP Architects, Philadelphia, PA, Design Intern
• Contributed to the design development of a two-part family entertainment project, particularly in modeling and detailing custom casework, light fixtures, flooring, and furniture to supplement programmatic needs
• Regularly rendered interior views of both works to contribute to weekly update meetings with the client and team
Cunningham | Quill Architects, Washington D.C., Architectural Extern (UVA School of Architecture Externship Program)
Shadowed project architects and participated in site visits and meetings
UVA School of Architecture, Charlottesville, VA, US, Student Instructor Assistant - “Lessons in Making + Experiencing Architecture”
Prepared own lesson plans and ran weekly section meetings with students to reinforce design concepts in introductory studio
R2L:Architects, Washington D.C., Architectural Extern (UVA School of Architecture Externship Program)
Contributed to the design development of a mixed-use building by iterating and presenting entrance layouts
University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, US, Bachelors, Bachelor of Science in Pre-Professional Architecture
Yann Weymouth Graduate Scholarship, 1st Place
Issued by The Architects Foundation, the philanthropic partner of The American Institute of Architects (AIA)
This scholarship includes a mentorship with Yann Weymouth, FAIA, and supports a student focusing on the design intersection of sustainability, resilience, wellness, and beauty.
Will M. Mehlhorn Scholarship, 1st Place
Issued by Stuart Weitzman School of Design at the University of Pennsylvania
This scholarship is awarded to the student who has shown the best work in the Master of Architecture program’s theory sequence.
