In honor of Architecture Month, VANOMA hosted Erin Young Agdinaoay of Work Program Architects (WPA) on April 20, 2023 at the Assembly NFK building in Norfolk, Virginia. Erin, a fun-natured and jovial person, shared with us her story as a Filipino-American, including her personal and professional journeys as well as what it is like to be involved in the hiring, strategy, and culture at WPA.
Take a listen to her spotlight below for more.
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If you are firm leadership or hiring, nontraditional designers are going to impact the profession and your company's culture more than you think. They are going to surprise you and bring perspectives that are unexpected for the better. The more diversity you have in your firm, the stronger you are going to be. ERIN YOUNG AGDINAOAY
Celebrating Erin Young Agdinaoay
Erin Agdinaoay is an Architect and Project Manager at Work Program Architects. Erin leads the firm’s hiring process as well as culture and strategy development with the firm’s co-founder, Mel Price. Erin sees pay transparency as a tool to attract and retain diverse talent and believes it’s the practice’s responsibility to properly cultivate the next generation of architects.
In 2021, Erin led the creation of WPA’s Summer Internship & Scholarship for Diversity Advancement which has attracted LBGTQIA+ and racially diverse applicants from a dozen universities. Erin is an active member of the Virginia chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (VANOMA) and believes the future resiliency of the profession and practice will be led by designers from nontraditional backgrounds. She is a graduate of Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture and Design and is proud to be a second generation Filipino-American.
If you are someone from a nontraditional background, embrace your differences to inform how you develop as a professional. The more I embrace who I actually am as a person, the more success I have found in my career. ERIN YOUNG AGDINAOAY
Learn more about Erin Young Agdinaoay
Keep up with all the latest VANOMA spotlight videos on our YouTube channel