Author Archives: Daniel Fernandez

Fatema Maksosy is a third-year Architecture student at NewSchool who is also pursuing a minor in Interior Design. Her path to architecture wasn’t always a straight one, but creativity has always been a constant in her life.

Fatema and her family moved to the United States when she was three years old. Growing up, she was always a creative person who loved making things with her hands. Whether painting, making pottery, crocheting, baking, or finding a new creative hobby to try, creating has always been something that comes naturally to her.

When she first started college, however, Fatema was on a very different path as a pre-med and physics major. After her first semester, she realized it wasn’t where her heart was and began exploring the things she was naturally drawn to. That process eventually led her to architecture.

She fell in love with the idea of taking creativity and ideas and turning them into something people can actually experience and interact with. Architecture gave her a way to bring together her creativity, curiosity, and love for making things.

Fatema discovered NewSchool while searching for architecture programs. After applying and being accepted, she came to campus for her first day and immediately connected with the environment and creative energy of the school. She quickly knew she had found the place where she wanted to grow as a designer and pursue architecture.

Today, as a third-year Architecture student with a minor in Interior Design, Fatema especially enjoys learning how the two disciplines can come together to create spaces that feel thoughtful, personal, and meaningful.

Her involvement at NewSchool extends well beyond the classroom. Fatema serves as President of AIAS and President of Student Council, and she also works on campus as a student worker and Social Media Assistant. Through these roles, she connects with fellow students, helps organize events and initiatives, and contributes to making campus feel more connected and engaging. Being involved in the NewSchool community is important to her, especially when it means creating opportunities for other students to feel involved and heard.

Looking ahead, Fatema’s biggest goal is to become a licensed architect. She hopes to work on meaningful projects that have a positive impact on the communities they serve and to be involved in community-focused work that creates spaces where people feel comfortable, welcomed, and connected.

Ultimately, Fatema hopes to build a career that allows her to keep creating, keep learning, and use architecture to make a positive difference in the world.

I was born and raised in San Diego, growing up in a big family where family gatherings were always a big part of my life. I have three sisters and I’m the middle child, so I was always surrounded by family. I was also lucky enough to grow up near the beach, which is something I’m very grateful for. San Diego has always felt like home to me.

After high school, I had the privilege of experiencing what it was like to live on my own in San Francisco. After that experience, I came back to San Diego and started my architecture school journey.

My interest in architecture actually started when I was younger. Growing up, I had the opportunity to go on missionary trips to Baja California. During one of those trips, I saw how nonprofit organizations were helping families build homes using recycled glass bottles. That really caught my attention. I remember thinking about how something as simple as recycled materials and pieces of the earth could be used to create a home for a family. It made me realize that architecture could be more than just designing a building. It could actually help people.

I continued my architecture education at San Diego Mesa College, where I started with hand drawing and free sketching. One of my favorite parts was being able to start with an idea in my head and slowly turn it into a building through sketches and plans. I enjoyed thinking about how a building would work from the inside and outside, what materials could be used, and even how the colors would come together. I think it’s amazing that architecture students can create something functional just by putting their ideas on paper and imagining what is possible.

Architecture can also be very competitive. Sometimes, the person you are competing with the most is yourself. I always wanted to push myself to do better and learn more, which is one of the reasons I chose to continue my education at NewSchool of Architecture & Design.

Coming to NewSchool as a transfer student was honestly scary. I didn’t know what to expect, and I was worried that I was already behind, especially because I was learning new software like Rhino and experiencing things like 3D printing for the first time. But I also realized that everyone was starting something new in their own way. We didn’t always know where to start, and that was okay.

I met some amazing classmates who came from different backgrounds and had different experiences. We were all willing to help each other, and somehow we ended up spending almost every day together, going through the same exhaustion, stress, and excitement. There was definitely a little bit of competition between us, but we also pushed each other to keep going. Having that support from my classmates made me feel more comfortable and helped me continue growing, not only as an architecture student but also as a person.

Because of that experience, I wanted to become more involved in the school. I applied for work-study and started working with the Outreach Department. I’ve had the opportunity to meet an amazing staff, including some of the same people who helped me find my way to NewSchool in the first place.

Now, I want to be able to do that for someone else.

I know what it feels like to be scared of taking on a new challenge or wondering if you’re ready for the next step. But sometimes, choosing the experience even when you’re scared is what helps you grow. My journey to NewSchool has taught me that it’s okay not to know everything, as long as you’re willing to learn, try new things, and keep moving forward.