Erin Conti Elected President of AIAS National Board
Erin Conti (M.ARCH. Candidate), a student at the College of Architecture, has been elected president of the American Institute of Architecture Students. Following her graduation, Conti will serve a one-year term at the organization’s Washington, D.C., headquarters, representing architecture students across the United States and beyond.
The AIAS is one of five main collateral organizations within the architecture profession. It is specifically tasked with representing architecture students and advocating on their behalf, not only in the U.S., but abroad. As president, and as a current board liaison for the organization’s Council of Global Representatives, Conti is prioritizing the expansion of the organization’s reach.
“I want to make sure that our programs are accessible to every student; we’ve started to expand more internationally,” says Conti. “I have been serving international students and hearing from their perspectives things we could be doing and ways we could benefit them further and provide them with the same opportunities that students within the U.S. have just by virtue of location.”
Conti first joined the AIAS during the first year of her undergraduate education at Keene State College, in her home state of New Hampshire. Since coming to Illinois Institute of Technology to pursue her Master of Architecture degree, she’s continued her involvement, currently serving on the AIAS board as Midwest Quad director.
“Seeing people who became my friends and mentors serving at a national level before me really encouraged me to get involved,” says Conti. “Now, being a part of the national board and seeing how far we can take the AIAS, I wanted to step up one more time and see what could happen. I am really lucky and happy to serve as president.”
Conti says she’s excited to serve her fellow students, bolster their success, and provide them with the support the organization gave her during her own time as a student.
“For me, the AIAS is such a huge reason that I remained within architecture school and kept going,” says Conti. “Architecture school can be really tough, so having this community, even just outside of the schools I’ve been in, has been really helpful.”
Image courtesy of AIAS.