![\"vortex-xvi-archexeast_group\"](\"http:\/\/katherinerw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/vortex-xvi-archexeast_group.jpg?w=300\")
Since 2007, Riding the Vortex has been presented as panel of Black women in architecture, talking about their experience in the industry and offering a place for other people to share their stories. We presented twice in the Fall of 2016.<\/p>\nSince 2007, Riding the Vortex has been presented as panel of Black women in architecture, talking about their experience in the industry and offering a place for other people to share their stories. We presented twice in the Fall of 2016.<\/p>\n
I moderated the Riding the Vortex XVI panel at Arch Exchange East in Richmond, Virginia I asked Mia, the newest to the panel member, and coincidentally, a childhood friend, to write about her experience.<\/p>\n I had the privilege recently to speak on a panel with four other amazing ladies at the Architecture Exchange conference. I honestly had no idea what I was getting in to. I did a little research on the other speakers before the conference. I was amazed each woman\u2019s accomplishments over their careers. I was not quite sure what I had to offer.<\/p>\n I am an unlicensed African American female architect; I\u2019ve been working in the field for over 12 years. I really like what I do. I have struggled through the licensure process due to health issues that I\u2019m overcoming now. I would truly encourage anyone seeking their architectural license to get it as soon as you can. You have no control how life will hit you, and it will hit you.<\/p>\n These women are all overcomers in their own right. Out of all the licensed architects, only .4% are African American women, and that has doubled in the last 10 years. I am grateful to these ladies for paving the way for me in this industry. Even though I had to deal with a little discrimination very early in my career, it is not to the degree that they had to rise through. I have learned how blessed I am to work at a company that gives me opportunities to grow and not place me in a pigeon hole. (It has happened to me before, I am great at designing toilet rooms.)<\/p>\n Yes, my experience is different; I have not accomplished as much as I would have liked to accomplish, yet. Thanks to these women, it no longer defines me. I can still reach my goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Since 2007, Riding the Vortex has been presented as panel of Black women in architecture, talking about their experience in the industry and offering a place for other people to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[2,10],"tags":[16,17,22,23,24,98,119,122],"class_list":["post-2069","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-african-american-architects","category-women-architects","tag-african-american-architect","tag-aia","tag-architects","tag-architecture","tag-architecture-license","tag-richmond-va","tag-virginia","tag-vortex"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-matic.com\/archive\/katherinerw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2069","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-matic.com\/archive\/katherinerw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-matic.com\/archive\/katherinerw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-matic.com\/archive\/katherinerw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-matic.com\/archive\/katherinerw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2069"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/the-matic.com\/archive\/katherinerw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2069\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/the-matic.com\/archive\/katherinerw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2069"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-matic.com\/archive\/katherinerw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2069"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/the-matic.com\/archive\/katherinerw\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2069"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nwhich included the following participants, pictured left to right:
\nMia Gilliam<\/a>, Assoc AIA, Wiley Wilson Architects
\nNea Maloo<\/a>, AIA LEED AP, Principal, Showcase Architects
\nKathy Dixon,<\/a> NOMA, AIA, Principal, K. Dixon Architecture, PLLC
\nKathryn Prigmore<\/a>, FAIA, NCARB, NOMA, LEED AP<\/p>\n![\"vortex-xvi-archexeast_mia\"](\"http:\/\/katherinerw.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/vortex-xvi-archexeast_mia-2.jpg?w=300\")
Riding the Vortex \u2013 Examining Your Place in the Profession<\/strong>
\nby Mia Gilliam<\/p>\n