2026 MEMBER SPOTLIGHTS

OCTOBER MEMBER Spotlight | Aviana Otieno

✨ About Aviana

🔹  Kenyan-American architectural scholar, designer, and visual researcher exploring the relationship between narrative, memory, culture, and the built environment
🔹 Pursuing Howard University’s accredited Bachelor of Science in Architecture / Master of Architecture pathway, with a minor in Swahili
🔹 Research interests center on East Africa and the African diaspora, examining how architecture can preserve cultural identity amid urbanization and globalization
🔹 Recipient of the 2026 Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship, supporting continued study and research in East Africa during the 2026–2027 academic year

Leadership & Campus Involvement
🔹 Currently serves as Treasurer of Howard University NOMAS, following previous roles as Vice President and Marketing Director, demonstrating a continued commitment to student leadership and professional development
🔹Served as NOMAS Vice President at Howard University from 2025 - 2026
🔹 Served as President of the Alpha Rho Chi Hemiunu Organizing Committee from 2025 - 2026
🔹 Promoted to Associate in 2026, recognizing her continued leadership, mentorship, and contributions both within the firm and throughout the architectural community
🔹 Active with DC NOMA, Engineers Without Borders, AIAS, and Howard University student organizations, connecting architectural education with service, mentorship, and professional engagement
🔹Selected to serve as Hakuna Matata Club Study Abroad Liaison / Global Ambassador for 2026–2027, extending her commitment to cross-cultural learning and connection

Research, Culture & Global Engagement 
🔹Her research investigates how language, indigenous knowledge, collective memory, and cultural identity can inform architecture and urban development
🔹Presented her research at Howard University’s 2026 African Indigenous Knowledge and Languages Conference, examining architecture as a vessel for cultural continuity in the face of globalization and urbanization
🔹 Her ongoing research explores how Kenya can maintain diverse cultural identities within the built environment while responding to rapid urbanization and changing development pressures

Academic & Professional Focus
🔹 Gained professional experience with Howard University Real Estate Development and Capital Asset Management, supporting campus development, asset utilization, long-term facilities strategy, and project management
🔹 Brings together architecture, urbanism, real estate, language, and cultural research to develop a broader understanding of how design decisions influence communities
🔹 Continues to develop a design perspective rooted in the belief that architecture can respond to contemporary needs without losing the cultural knowledge and narratives embedded within place

DC NOMA is proud to spotlight Aviana Otieno, an emerging designer, researcher, and student leader whose work demonstrates the power of connecting architecture with culture, language, and lived experience. Through scholarship, leadership, and global engagement, Aviana is helping expand conversations around what culturally responsive design can mean for the future of the profession.