David Juan Garcia won’t let a little adversity get in the way of pursuing his passion.
The 2016 Woodrow Wilson High School graduate is already making his way in a challenging industry of architecture.
The young man is less than a year away from his master’s degree in architecture from the University of Texas and was recently awarded the Architecture and Design Foundation’s Diversity in Architecture scholarship.
Garcia was one of 15 Architecture and Design Exchange scholarship winners, earning $2,000 to go toward tuition, books, and living expenses. AD EX doled out more than $46,000 in scholarships to the winners.
Humble Beginnings
Garcia spoke to Daltxrealestate.com on Monday from San Francisco, where he’s interning at Steinberg Hart.
The 24-year-old said his job in construction administration, helping with the design of a 20-story luxury apartment tower, is a long way from what life was like in his early years.
“I was born in a poor town in Mexico where I was mostly raised by my mother,” Garcia said. “At the age of 7, I came to the U.S. and reunited with my young father. I had to quickly improve my English and Spanish to be able to do well in school. I persevered and was able to compete with my classmates. It was the determination to make the best out of my opportunities that has granted me the success I have now.”
Through the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics program at Woodrow Wilson High School, Garcia found his love of design.
“I wanted to make sure I made the most of every opportunity,” he said. “I made sure I went in to every class with a curious mind. I tried to find something that I was not just good at but that would challenge me also. That’s how I found architecture. That’s how I got into the STEM program. I wanted to be an engineer. Children of immigrants have a lot of responsibility on their shoulders. I do want to be stable financially but I also want to do something I enjoy.”
In high school, Garcia was surrounded by people who didn’t care about their grades or making a better life for themselves, people who were hindered by poverty and language barriers. He also saw people who came from wealthy, educated families and those who cared about where they were going to go to college and what kind of career they’d have one day. Even as a teenager, he knew he could decide which person he wanted to be.
“I could have gone a different way,” he said. “My mentors, high school teachers, and my family supported me. I valued that. I think that’s defined me. I’m thankful for what I have.”
Bright Future
Garcia will return to Austin in January to finish out his last two semesters of graduate school at UT.
“I want to be an architect for sure,” he said. “On the side, I would like to do things to help empower my community — maybe a bigger vision instead of just teaching classes. Students learn a lot online. I’d like to do something where they can physically learn the skills or use the software that I know.”
The architectural software Revit, which Garcia learned at the STEM Academy, inspired him to become an architect, he said.
“From that moment, I began to be inspired by the immense potential of new technology,” he said. “I’m interested in exploring innovation design processes that use new technologies such as BIM, Generative Design, and Artificial Intelligence. They have the ability to redefine architecture.”
Garcia says he’ll remain connected with Woodrow even if he’s not working in Texas.
“I always want to give back and follow that [STEM] program,” he said. “They’ve added so much since I graduated. They serve higher-income and lower-income students. I want to make sure no one is overlooked. One of my career goals is to make architecture more accessible to lower-income social classes. I want to make it easier for students to be informed about the potential of learning skills such as digital drafting, modeling, and rendering.”
He’d also like to someday buy a big piece of land in Texas and design a home for his parents.
“I want people to know that if you have focus and devotion it can work out,” he said. “I’m thankful for these experiences.”
Scholarship Recipients
Garcia is among an elite class of scholarship recipients from the Architecture and Design Foundation, including:
- Adriana Paola Jaime-González – CityLab High School Scholarship
- Ruby Lucas – ISN CityLab Scholarship Grant
- Ben Kompare – Peter Goldstein Founder’s Scholarship
- Allison Frederick – DSGN Scholarship Towards an Equitable Architecture
- Elina Win – HKS Equitable Design Scholarship
- Dianna Hodza – OMNIPLAN / Hamilton+Harrell Scholarship
- Jay Mistry – OMNIPLAN / Hamilton+Harrell Scholarship
- Maria Nguyen – Pat Yates Skillman Scholarship
- Ana Baeza – Latinos in Architecture Scholarship
- Iran Mejia – Emerging Professionals: Path to Licensure Scholarship
- Alison Leonard, AIA – Women in Architecture Professional Development Fund
- Laurel Stone, AIA – Women in Architecture Professional Development Fund
- Caitlin McCunney, AIA – Mary Kolb Berglund Traveling Fellowship + McDermott Traveling Fellowship
- Hunter Bradshaw, AIA – McDermott Traveling Fellowship + Swank Traveling Fellowship
