Women’s History Month 2025
Dearest NOMA NM friends,
I hope March is treating you well and you all are in good spirits! When asked to write the message for NOMA NM’s Women’s History Month, I was immensely humbled and excited by the honor, so I am hoping you’ll enjoy my reflections.
Women. The mere word rings of power yet exudes warmth; the ones who can design entire cities while simultaneously nursing their newborns; have the calmness of the sea yet a fiery spirit; are diverse in their wide range of emotions and yet can have the heart of steel; we represent half the population of the world, yet our identity and stories are unique to each individual and who we choose to be as human beings. Amongst all the myriads of qualities that make us who we are, I think what we share as a universal strand is our strength and resilience.
I come from a family of very strong women; my great-grandma, Boroamma, was the first woman in her family and surrounding village to pass high school with distinction; my grandmother, Nanu, was a secret messenger at the time of Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War against West Pakistan; my mother, Ammu, was one of the first teachers from her school in Bangladesh who was sent to Boston to teach as an Exchange Faculty. Their fiery spirit that I carry within has led me to being the first and only Architect in my family, who has earned her Master’s degree from the US. I have also had the honor of having some amazing teachers and peers who have paved the pathway for me. As I fondly reminisce about their stories, I am only left with the feeling of immense gratitude; it is only because of their struggles, sacrifices and courage, that I am where I am today. And yet, I have so much more to learn and grow!
Speaking of growth, the theme for this year’s Women’s History Month is “Moving forward together”. Part of being a woman for me means to truly respect equity, value equality and treasure diversity and that to me is what I think NOMA NM community is truly about! As the NOMA NM family, I think we are stronger together. I truly believe that our diversity is our strength, and it is our passion for this Land of Enchantment that truly unites our dreams, pushes us to progress and grow together. In a world that is cut-throat, where the gender wage gap is still a harsh reality, and discrimination and exploitation fill up our newsfeeds, the only way we can grow and prosper is if we are unified in our voices and can brave the storms while keeping our heads high, together!
So my message to you is quite simple: go out there and don’t be afraid to be yourself, be comfortable in your skin but don’t lose the opportunity to learn and morph with the changing seasons; celebrate your true spirit but be curious; remember that failure is part of the journey and is a great teacher; honor your roots as you lay the groundwork for the future, but most importantly, be fearless, as I and the NOMA NM family are here for you, cheering you on!
Sincerely,
Ifreet Rahima, Assoc. AIA, LEED APBD+C, GGP, NOMA
NOMA New Mexico Highlight:
NOMAS UNM Site Tour
Garron Yepa and Ke Vaughn Harding, MASS Design Group, led site tours for the UNM NOMAS chapter on Saturday, February 8th with 18 students + 1 faculty member, Michaele Pride, in attendance.
Ke Vaughn gave a tour of a new-build single family residential project that he’s working on, which is located on a working farm property in Los Ranchos. He walked students through the main house, barn and accessory dwelling unit. They talked through everything from design concept, to the ways that they responded to site context, navigating zoning and building code regulations, and the incorporation of sustainable design features.
Garron gave a tour of Los Poblanos where he discussed the historic buildings on the site before showing students the work that he was involved with at the site, which included adaptive reuse of existing agricultural buildings and new construction of Guest Suites.
This work is a project of AOS Architects even though they’re both now working for MASS.
Interested in more site tours or hosting one?
Please fill out the 5-10 minute form linked below.
Thank you, Sponsors!
We’re grateful for our sponsors, Arcadia, Bell and McCoy, and Martinez Architecture Studio PC for being our first donations! Our mission for 2025 is to make an impact in our local and professional communities. Your donations help support our upcoming programs, events, and scholarships.
We’re offering various tiers of donations and benefits. If you or your firm are interested in becoming a sponsor, please contact us at nomanewmexico@gmail.com.
Join NOMA
To join NOMA officially, please visit the NOMA Membership Page. Upon arrival at the page, select the “Register Now!” button under “Are you ready to join the organization?”. This will open the member registration page where you may select the relevant membership category and continue with the registration process.
