Introducing Shy

Last week we had the pleasure of welcoming Shy to the team for the summer as a design intern. She’ll be working mostly with our Green Playces team. We asked Shy to tell us a little more about herself, and wanted to share what she wrote with you too:

My name is Shynika Deandrae Stokes, but you can call me Shy. I am originally from Orangeburg, South Carolina, a small college town where the majority of the residents works at various industrial parks and facilities. My parents are the driving force behind my wanting to be successful. My mother worked in construction for over thirty years and my father has made a living from everything from commercial shipping to interstate maintenance. It’s the kind of back breaking labor that makes a child want to do anything they can to ease their burdens. Even though they’ve preached the gospel of college to me since before I could talk, I’ve always admired their hustle. They taught me that working hard builds character and that putting forth the effort to perfect your craft is something in which you should take pride.

I am currently in my Senior year at the University of Pittsburgh for Architectural Studies. I’ve always found myself concerned with the human element when I encounter a new space. I love considering an immersive experience and I’m endlessly intrigued by how a particular assemblage of structures can influence how we interact with our environment and each other. Architecture is more than just the pursuit of aesthetic perfection. Its theories and applications are created based on real world observations and an understanding of its physical, social and ethical effects.

Here at GTECH Strategies, where the spaces being developed are at such an intimate scale, these interventions have a more subtle, yet enduring effect. It is my intention to cultivate a deeper understanding of the benefits of projects like these and how this process can be universally adapted to similar situations.

If you’re interested in learning more about Shy, you can usually find her at a Green Playces workday! Sign up on our events calendar today.