Danya Li 鈥�19 serves as editor for the School of Architecture鈥檚 annual thesis publication, sharing her expertise with fifth-year students who aspire to make an impact with their final designs.
If Danya Li 鈥�19 could give just one piece of advice to students in 51爆料网鈥檚 , it would be adapt, but stay true to your character.
Li鈥檚 guidance comes from a place of professional and personal insight. Since completing the University鈥檚 rigorous five-year bachelor of architecture program and earning a minor in sustainable construction management, she鈥檚 gained valuable experience鈥攁nd had enviable achievements. Her post-graduation accomplishments have been driven by an expansive skillset, versatility and a strong sense of her own goals.
Since graduating, I鈥檝e been able to call myself an architectural designer, a set designer, an editor, a maker, a photographer and an art director.
Danya Li 鈥�19
鈥淚 wanted to be an architect since I was in seventh grade,鈥� recalls the Massachusetts native, who chose Syracuse for its renowned undergraduate program, currently ranked fifth in the nation. 鈥淚 applied only to schools that were in the top 20 for architecture,鈥� she recalls. 鈥淲hen I got into Syracuse, I said, 鈥楾his is the one.鈥欌��
The field of architecture is demanding鈥攂oth as a college major and a profession鈥攂ut Li has long embraced its challenges. While she carves out her own professional path, she also serves as editor for the School of Architecture鈥檚 annual thesis publication, managing 110 projects and sharing her expertise with current fifth-year students who aspire to make an impact with their final designs.
Putting Small Things in Perspective
Li鈥檚 own senior thesis was a diorama model titled 鈥淭he Denuded Image鈥濃�攁n exploration of how photographs can influence and distort our understanding of space. 鈥淕oing into thesis year, I had no idea what I wanted to do,鈥� she admits. Guided by her own interests and the advice of Professor Nicole McIntosh, she designed a project that was nominated for the school鈥檚 2019 Thesis Prize Jury.
Her foray into miniatures led to an unexpected opportunity when she was approached to design sets for Manhattan vintage furniture retailer Coming Soon. 鈥淚 definitely didn鈥檛 expect to be doing set design or miniatures after graduation,鈥� says Li, whose Instagram presence sparked a growing interest in her talents. 鈥淢y thesis work prepared me to take advantage of this great opportunity, even though it wasn鈥檛 necessarily the path I鈥檇 planned out.鈥�
Li鈥檚 dioramas for the Brooklinen holiday collection were featured in ads on New York City subways, digital boards and bus stops.
Within months, more clients and model design projects came her way, and by late 2020 she was creating sets for the holiday collection of one of her favorite retailers, Brooklinen. 鈥淧eople are so mesmerized by miniature creations,鈥� she says, recalling friends鈥� and followers鈥� delight at the tiny radiators she created for the project using 3D printing skills she learned as a student.
Although demand for her design skills was a surprise, Li quickly adjusted to meet clients鈥� needs and learned from each experience. 鈥淓very single project has been so eye-opening because the clients want different things. It鈥檚 a matter of using the craftsmanship and skills I learned throughout school,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檚 crazy, but I truly never expected to have so many built projects by now.鈥�
Embracing the Possibilities
Li鈥檚 thesis, nominated for the 2019 Thesis Prize Jury, reveals how photographs can influence and distort our understanding of space.
As a student, Li seized every opportunity to immerse herself in all that college had to offer. Semesters in and in inspired her professionally and gave her a taste for life overseas. 鈥淟ondon is one of the cities I want to live in for the rest of my life,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 would love, love, love to end up there eventually if I could.鈥�
She also joined Delta Gamma sorority, which offered a social life outside the 鈥渁rchitecture bubble,鈥� as Li puts it, and led to friendships she will treasure for life. 鈥淭hey were the people I could come home to and decompress with,鈥� she says. 鈥淚 just can鈥檛 imagine my college experience without them.鈥�
Through the School of Architecture, Li landed a summer internship with an architectural firm in New York City before her final year as an undergraduate. 鈥淚 learned a lot during that internship and I loved being in New York,鈥� she says. The position introduced her to valued mentors and gave her real-world experience鈥攁s well as a clearer sense of the options that would be open to her after graduation.
Forging Ahead on Her Own Terms
The process of becoming a fully licensed architect includes a series of daunting exams that many budding architects must take repeatedly before passing. Although it鈥檚 common for young professionals to pursue this licensure over several years while working at a firm, Li has other ideas. 鈥淚鈥檇 love to pave a separate path of freedom so that I can determine what I want to do when I want to do it,鈥� she says.
After spending much of the pandemic at her family鈥檚 home in Massachusetts, Li is philosophical about her unfolding path. 鈥淚鈥檓 a firm believer in 鈥榳hen it鈥檚 meant to be, it鈥檚 meant to be,鈥欌�� she says. 鈥淚 was able to be home for the past two years helping my mother take care of my father before he passed, and now I have a beautiful new chapter ahead of me.鈥� This new chapter includes a move to Brooklyn with boyfriend and fellow alum Ryan Oeckinghaus 鈥�19.
It鈥檚 a matter of using the craftsmanship and skills I learned throughout school
Danya Li 鈥�19
She鈥檚 also pivoted to an exciting new freelance venture with Madelynn Ringo, a fellow architectural designer who draws on her training to create unique spaces for brands. 鈥淚 have a really strong brand design sensibility, and this work is so enjoyable it鈥檚 hard to believe that I鈥檓 getting paid to design for these dream clients,鈥� says Li, who continues to expand her architectural photography skills in this new role.
As thesis editor for the School of Architecture, Li returns to campus each fall to kick off the senior project, advising current students on how to develop and showcase their creations.
Meanwhile, she stays connected to Syracuse鈥檚 School of Architecture as thesis publication editor, sharing her wisdom with students and working with the school鈥檚 dean, Michael Speaks, thesis director Kyle Miller, and Mark Linder, the professor who taught one of her favorite courses鈥攁rchitectural theory. 鈥淭hey know that I have this unique perspective of being a recent grad, and that I know what students are going through and what to say to them.鈥�
As Li looks to the future, she seems grounded in a sense of purpose and self-knowledge. 鈥淪ince graduating, I鈥檝e been able to call myself an architectural designer, a set designer, an editor, a maker, a photographer and an art director,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou have to be true to your own character. And at the end of the day, you鈥檒l end up where you belong.鈥�
