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Q&A with Ashleigh Brady '17
Ashleigh Brady ’17 is a senior at Dartmouth studying art history, studio art and geography. She plans to attend graduate school for architecture after graduation.
What are you studying in college, and why did you decide to pursue that major?
At Dartmouth I am studying art history, studio art and geography. It took me until the end of my junior year to totally solidify my major and minors, and I constructed it based on what architects from other liberal arts schools had majored in. Dartmouth doesn't have a five-year architecture track, so I had to combine my own little architecture track that would get me into architecture graduate school. I think my major and minors reflect well on what I want to do in the architecture field; I'm interested in sustainable and inclusive urban design that won't displace marginalized communities.
What are you passionate about?
I'm most passionate about two things in life: social justice and art. My goal is to be able to combine these two things with architecture. This past summer I got involved in local Delaware politics, and while it was an enlightening experience, I decided I cannot “do” politics for the rest of my life. I believe studying urban populations and the evolution of the ways in which architecture and housing can change people's lives for the better is a better way of utilizing my passions.
Why is social activism important, and why did you choose to take part in protests this summer?
Social activism is important, at least for me, because I eventually got tired of complaining about things being the way that they were. Of course, I still complain, but I realized that unless I am out there really doing something, my complaints will continue to fall on deaf ears. Protesting this summer helped me make sure that people knew I wasn't satisfied with having my voice silenced or ignored. I know that protesting isn't enough to bring change (and there are many, many other ways to be socially active), but it is a good first start for spreading awareness and letting people know that issues of race in America will not be ignored any longer. Making people uncomfortable is often necessary when it comes time to demanding change. Also, I didn't have much money this summer before I started work, so protesting really was the only way that I personally felt like I could help since I wasn't able to donate.
What was your experience like at Tower Hill?
I was at Tower Hill for almost all of my life (2nd-12th grade), and I owe it for helping me establish lifelong friendships (and at least acquaintanceships) with some of my peers. Of course, there was always that underlying feeling of being hyper-visible and invisible amongst my classmates. To explain this feeling further, there was always a feeling of being over critiqued by white classmates and teachers while simultaneously there was a feeling of being ignored and under-valued because of my skin color. This is a feeling that plenty of minority students feel at PWIs (predominantly white institutions), and it is not specific at all to Tower Hill. Of course, there were instances of microaggressions and racism from students and staff alike. Some students and faculty were worse than others, but at a certain point I just had to realize that I was surrounded by uber-privileged kids who didn't have to go through some of the experiences that I went through. I was lucky enough to have a group of Black friends, and we supported one another through the various “incidents” that we had through our high school careers. Unfortunately, this is a fairly normalized experience of a Black student at an affluent private school, and though Tower Hill has changed for the better, my brother has already told me about some racial situations that he's gone through, and he's in ninth grade. This is another reason why I'm so into activism—I hope that one day Black and Brown children can go to good private schools and not be in the minority and not have to put up with damaging racist incidents for the sake of getting a good education.
Can you explain how architecture and design are reflections of culture, morals and politics?
Let me clarify—good architecture and good design are reflections of our culture, morals and politics. Good architects can understand and embrace the cultures that surround their building site and can go on to input their understanding of the culture into the designs of their buildings. Some of the problems that arise with “universal styles” of architecture and “new urbanism” is that these plans can sometimes fail to consider the surrounding culture when it comes to designing. If you think about it, architecture is just a functional piece of artwork made by an artist for a certain community. Artwork is best received and has the potential to foster community when it can be read as a reflection of the zeitgeist.
What are your plans for after graduation? Where do you see yourself in five years?
I'm taking a year to work on my portfolio, study for the GRE and work and shadow with various local design and architecture firms after I graduate in 2021. Next December I'll be applying to graduate schools for architecture and design, and those typically are three years. So, in five years, I see myself hopefully getting job offers from architectural or design firms in the city.
