SECOND YEAR UNDERGRADUATE
Mahiya Majeed—Irena K. Orlowski Travel Award
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Mahiya Majeed—Irena K. Orlowski Travel Award
About the Award
Irena K. Orlowski Travel Award:
Provides support to a student in 2nd, 3rd or 4th year, and is based on academic achievement and a contribution and involvement in university life and bettering the world around them.
My involvement in university life is guided by initiative, collaboration, and a commitment to building community.
At the start of my second year, I helped prepare orientation packages, served lunch, and supported incoming students to ensure they felt welcomed and connected. In a small program where we take every class together, these moments are essential to cultivating community, and it was meaningful to give back in the same ways I was once supported as a first-year student.
I continue to pursue leadership in both academic and professional contexts. In DAS Connections, I had the opportunity to lead a student group in collaboration with Adamsons Associates, translating office culture, guiding peers through workflows, and fostering open discussions where students could ask questions. These experiences allowed me to support others while bridging the gap between education and practice.
I have also helped run software tutorials and organize AIAS events, creating opportunities for peer learning and collaboration while contributing to a sense of shared growth within the community.
In the 2024 Windows Catalogue design-build project, I collaborated across all four years as a first-year student, contributing to documentation and graphics while highlighting each team member’s work. This experience reinforced my belief that design is strongest when every voice is included.
Competitions have challenged me to grow and represent TMU Architectural Science. I participated in TimberFever, where my team earned an honourable mention, and co-initiated TMU’s entry into the international Volume Zero competition, helping lead our representation on a global stage. These experiences broadened my perspective and connected me to the wider design community.
Currently, as Graphics Lead for Freedom by Design, I contribute to projects such as the Architecture Winter Clothing Drive, using design to create meaningful social impact and to better support the local community. These experiences inspire me to consider how, as architects, we can create spaces and initiatives that strengthen and serve the people around us.
For me, architecture is not only about designing buildings but about designing relationships between people, place, and community. I carry that mindset into every role I take on, using both small actions and larger initiatives to strengthen connections and ensure that design remains a tool for collective growth.
Irena K. Orlowski Travel Award:
Provides support to a student in 2nd, 3rd or 4th year, and is based on academic achievement and a contribution and involvement in university life and bettering the world around them.
My involvement in university life is guided by initiative, collaboration, and a commitment to building community.
At the start of my second year, I helped prepare orientation packages, served lunch, and supported incoming students to ensure they felt welcomed and connected. In a small program where we take every class together, these moments are essential to cultivating community, and it was meaningful to give back in the same ways I was once supported as a first-year student.
I continue to pursue leadership in both academic and professional contexts. In DAS Connections, I had the opportunity to lead a student group in collaboration with Adamsons Associates, translating office culture, guiding peers through workflows, and fostering open discussions where students could ask questions. These experiences allowed me to support others while bridging the gap between education and practice.
I have also helped run software tutorials and organize AIAS events, creating opportunities for peer learning and collaboration while contributing to a sense of shared growth within the community.
In the 2024 Windows Catalogue design-build project, I collaborated across all four years as a first-year student, contributing to documentation and graphics while highlighting each team member’s work. This experience reinforced my belief that design is strongest when every voice is included.
Competitions have challenged me to grow and represent TMU Architectural Science. I participated in TimberFever, where my team earned an honourable mention, and co-initiated TMU’s entry into the international Volume Zero competition, helping lead our representation on a global stage. These experiences broadened my perspective and connected me to the wider design community.
Currently, as Graphics Lead for Freedom by Design, I contribute to projects such as the Architecture Winter Clothing Drive, using design to create meaningful social impact and to better support the local community. These experiences inspire me to consider how, as architects, we can create spaces and initiatives that strengthen and serve the people around us.
For me, architecture is not only about designing buildings but about designing relationships between people, place, and community. I carry that mindset into every role I take on, using both small actions and larger initiatives to strengthen connections and ensure that design remains a tool for collective growth.
