From admiring the well-crafted chalets of Leysin to designing civic spaces in Boston, alum Genevieve '15 has built a life and career centered on creativity and community, something she first came to love during her years at LAS.

Looking back on her time here, she values the strong relationships she created. Teachers and Faculty Family parents—Mr. Printer, Mr. Murphy, Ms. Fracarro, Mr. Hanowitz, Mr. Hitchcock, Mr. Hazenberg, and Ms. Cooper—were formative figures whose guidance extended well beyond the classroom, particularly during the stressful process of applying to universities. The friendships she made with other students at LAS have proven equally lasting, and continue to enrich her life today.

Some of her most vivid memories are refreshingly simple yet magical: a birthday celebration under the stars at the quarry, the sound of cowbells, scampering down the stairs of the Belle Époque in slippers to grab weekend brunch, late-night snack runs through the snow to Feydey Station for chocolate-covered rice crackers and café lattes before a long study session, fondue evenings with her Faculty Family, and the balcony with the unforgettable view of the mountains from her fourth-floor room in the Belle Époque. 

Genevieve says the global perspective of her LAS classes made her interested in working on projects that impact a wide range of people. After LAS, Genevieve went on to study architecture and environmental studies at Wellesley College and MIT, then obtained a masters degree in architecture at Cornell University. After gaining experience in both high-end residential and large-scale architectural firms, she found her focus: civic and educational architecture. 

For her, these projects occupy a rare intersection: they are at once practical and poetic, functional and symbolic, and shaped by the specific landscape, climate, culture, and community they serve. Each one, she says, presents its own complex aspirations, challenges, and the opportunity to explore genuinely creative solutions. "I want to create value," she says. "I want to solve environmental, humanitarian, and social problems." Her portfolio reflects exactly that ambition, with projects for institutions including MIT, Princeton, NYU, the Smithsonian Museum, and Boston Public Schools.

Genevieve’s career is rooted in the belief that the most meaningful work happens within—and for—communities. Using her creativity and sense of civic responsibility, she has made her life’s work a beautiful reflection of what it means to be an innovative and responsible citizen of the world. We couldn’t be more proud, Genevieve!