MIT and TTU's Alicia Delgado-Alcaraz on Giving Credit, Everyday Transitions, and Spaces that Bridge
By Julia Gamolina
Alicia Jael Delgado-Alcaraz, a borderland native, was born in El Paso, Texas, yet raised on the other side of the U.S. – Mexico border in Ciudad Juárez. She is a designer and founder-director of In//Border, a Texas Tech College of Architecture (CoA) – El Paso + El Paso Community College (EPCC) alumni-led initiative committed to providing a mentorship platform and resources for architecture students in the U.S.-Mexico borderlands of El Paso, Texas. She is an incoming first-year M.Arch. student at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Architecture + Planning and she holds Bachelor and Associate of Science in Architecture degrees from the 2+2 Architecture Program from TTU (CoA) – El Paso + EPCC.
JG: Why did you decide to study architecture?
ADA: As any other child, I was very curious and observant of the adults around me, specifically my grandparents. My maternal grandfather, who worked at Mattel, had a passion for inventing and creating. In his later years, his inventions would be small objects, and other times, they would be additions to the house – anything to make his surroundings more accessible. My paternal grandfather was a self-taught plumber who designed and built his family home. What was once a space for three became space for five, six, and seven. Once those children became adults, the rooms that were once theirs became patios and guest rooms. It felt like an ever-changing space. Seeing my grandparents’ love for the craft and their ability to transform their space, I started to question my surroundings – the connections, transitions, and divisions – and investigated different paths to help me explore all these small, yet meaningful, parts of myself.
Then, when I started commuting to college in El Paso, it finally clicked for me. See, thousands of people live, work and study within the two cities, while thousands of others – prohibited from entering the United States – walk to the boundary point of the U.S. border to meet their families who live across the Rio Grande River. I became intrigued by those everyday transitions at the international bridge and the contrast between my two cities. I developed this desire for a deeper understanding of the issues that I could see and feel but didn’t understand. I saw architecture as a flexible venue allowing me to experiment, question, and explore design in various scales, from objects to the urban environment. Also, it allowed me to remain connected to my grandparents, who have since passed away.
Home is where the sister cities blend into a landscape of mountains and highways, separated only by the thin and murky Rio Grande, U.S. — Mexico border, Winter 2021. Photography by Alicia.
What was the favorite project you worked on in school? Favorite paper you wrote? Favorite extracurricular?
I believe each project helped me refine my interests and become more critical about my work and intentions, yet there are two projects I cherish the most. The first is the Backyard Bridge, sprung from an investigation of the Reporte de Puentes, a format used to inform locals of the range and time for crossing each of the four international bridges connecting El Paso to Ciudad Juárez. It was for a radio station that had since developed into a TV program and several Facebook accounts. The project culminated in a truss bridge structure on the U.S.-Mexico border and taught me the design process, methodology, and representation techniques I still follow today.
The other one, is UrbanSCAPE, which quickly took over my desk space with a range of collages, maps, and relief models, and led up to a framework of three scale interventions: the regional, looking into the bi-national and tri-state site connections; the neighborhood, responding to the existing infrastructure and considering temporality, permanence, and seasonality within the urban fabric; and the building, a community center serving as the catalyst of the project. The project gained a recognition and was showcased at the Borderplex Alliance for the Imagining the Tri-State & District Bi-National Entertainment exhibition in the Spring 2016. It was an amazing feeling and accomplishment; I feel this project truly represents who I am as a designer.
“I pay close attention to how a firm values and credits their team at all levels.”
What are some of the initiatives you’ve focused on in school, and why?
I was active in the few established architecture initiatives that were available within the institutions I attended. The most significant of these initiatives was mentoring for the TTU CoAMP – Mentor Program, created and coordinated by Luz Elena Hernandez. My role was to expose EPCC students to the architecture profession’s facets by holding both individual and group discussions regarding representation, and through showing computer-aided design programs techniques. I enjoyed the conversations and helping the students navigate this new environment of architecture, which felt full of barriers. One barrier was communication; English was a learned language for most students alongside learning the architectural language. The second barrier was distance; the physical distance between the 2+2 Architecture Program institutions created a social disconnect between students, with most only knowing one generation above and one below their own. This disconnect was further heightened, as many first-generation college students like me lacked knowledge of how to transition into the new environment of the U.S. school system. I do believe the program helped so many students in their transition from EPCC to Texas Tech.
It inspired me to draft the in//border initiative, which started as a lengthy email, full of ideas related to helping students transition from college to graduate school and developing a strong alumni network, and a clear mission to provide support to architecture students in El Paso to reach their individual goals and broaden their reach to the various professionals’ pathways available to those studying architecture in the U.S. – Mexico borderlands. This in//border draft serves as a precedent to my collaboration with AIA – El Paso chapter in establishing their AIA – El Paso Women in Architecture Committee's first mentorship program, which started earlier this year, and one I am part of as a mentee, as well.
In the summers, even after my undergrad graduation, I continued to mentor high school and middle school students interested in pursuing architecture at the TTU CoAMP Summer Camp, an initiative created to expose young students to the architecture and design field through a series of exercises and projects. I am thankful to have been chosen to be part of this initiative, this year as a coordinator and instructor in the subject of Co-Housing + The City. These experiences have fueled me to keep working and giving my community more than what it could give us.
UrbanSCAPE Framework: Tri-State & District Bi-National Land, Award: Project Exhibition at Borderplex Alliance Imagining the Tri-State & District Bi-National Entertainment.
UrbanSCAPE Sectional Axon Exploded Drawing
UrbanSCAPE Physical model.
When searching for internships and jobs, what are you looking for?
I pay close attention to how a firm values and credits their team at all levels and the type of work they take on. While I see worth in learning from different experiences and broadening my knowledge as a designer, as a young professional, sharing interests and values with the firm is key. So, a closer and more intimate — not small — practice that embraces mentorship and fosters open discussions, where I can be exposed to all parts of the design process and how the business side is conducted, is the ideal.
What’s important to you? What inspires you?
My community. I experienced the many changes and pain inflicted on my community from the femicides, the war on drugs, the Walmart shooting that claimed the lives of residents from both sides of the border, and the caravan of Central American migrants that traveled from Guatemala to the Mexico-US border, which has put on display the deeply rooted issues of racism, health, immigration, and infrastructure of shelters in the country. Those experiences formed my reasons for pursuing my Masters in Architecture, as I want to design spaces that bridge communities, families, and cultures in a time of globalized identities when physical territories are tearing communities apart.
Secondly, I'm inspired by people – those who question the world that surrounds us, those who are critical but also active, those who not only invite you to the table but give you the tools needed to succeed and be able to create new conversations.
“I’m inspired by people – those who question the world that surrounds us, those who are critical but also active, those who not only invite you to the table but give you the tools needed to succeed and be able to create new conversations.”
What do you hope to do in your career?
There are many things I would like to accomplish, and there’s much I still need to experience and learn. Now, looking into graduate school, I am reminded of several steps, one of which is getting licensed, as only 1% of all licensed architects identify as a Hispanic or Latinx, and from that, only about 0.01% are women. I am reminded of how important it is to get licensed and help others accomplish this goal.
Moreover, as a native of the borderlands who studied both at Texas Tech College of Architecture (CoA) – El Paso and El Paso Community College, I hope to create visibility for other borderland natives in the architecture and design field through the in//border El Paso Mentorship Program initiative. That means giving free resources and a meaningful mentorship relationship between alumni mentors and current student mentees, aiming to bring the attention that the border region deserves by encouraging a spirit of sharing and mutuality across generations and geographies.
Who do you look up to? Both in terms of women in architecture, and in general.
I am a result of those before me; everything I am and hope to be is because of my family. They have given me their stories, hopes, and knowledge. Even getting accepted to MIT or deciding to move to Boston wasn’t a possibility, not even a dream, yet their push, love, and support have gotten me here today, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
In terms of women in architecture, many have continually inspired me and made an incredible difference in my life. Daniela Quesada Rivas, my instructor at Texas Tech and current Chief Architect at the City of El Paso, has opened so many doors for me. She taught me to be critical of my work, intentions, and process and to be open to new ways of learning and making, as change is inevitable. Professionally, Regan Shields Ives, principal at Finegold Alexander Architects, has taught me to advocate for myself and showed me that a balanced life as an owner, mother, and active community member is possible. She inspired me to always push harder and dream bigger. I am thankful to them and many others whose teaching, values, support, and honesty I will always cherish.
Personal photography of everyday objects. fig.1 Cafesito time, fig.2 Molcajete, fig.3 Sandia, Summer 2020.
In general, I am particularly captivated by individual processes, how those once-small, yet meaningful, parts in someone’s life, either craft or values, are manifested through someone’s work and how they change over the years as people become more confident and mature in their craft.
What advice would you give to those in high school now, choosing their field of study?
As someone who took a long time deciding my field of study, my advice is: “It’s okay to give yourself time to explore different career paths and determine what it is that you want to learn and pursue.” Sometimes, people feel they are in a race against time and should accomplish everything before a certain age. Yes, life is short, but because it is, you should be able to enjoy it and practice something in which you are genuinely invested.
Ultimately, trust yourself, know that it is okay to change or refine what you want to do, and be open to learning from your professors, peers, and the new concepts you will be exposed to in college.