Alyssa Garcia

How did you find your current job?
I currently work with SITELAB, a small urban design firm in San Francisco founded by Laura Crescimano and the late Evan Rose. I found out about the position with SITELAB through classmates.

What kind of work are you doing?
At SITELAB, we work at all scales of placemaking and design. I'm currently working on a large master plan in Silicon Valley, but also work with neighborhoods on small, medium, and large people-focused projects.

What attracted you to the firm or job?
I love the way they think! The projects SITELAB has been involved with were attractive, but really what got me what their attitude towards experience and what design can do for the public realm.

How did your education at the University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design prepare you for your current tasks?
My education at the Weitzman School taught me about collaboration. I learned how to work with others in differing programs and how to be proud of my peers for their successes, this is what the real world is about! 

Are there specific courses and instructors that influenced you philosophically?
Scott Page's course on site planning really helped shape the designer I am today. I immediately knew he was there to provide us with the tools we needed to be quality designers that were quick on their feet and most importantly, good storytellers! His class really helped me discuss and explain projects not by my own likes and dislikes, but by the perspective of those who would experience my work. 

Any top moment(s) of your education here?
ULI Hines competition! Do it!! Taught me so much about working with my peers in other disciplines and is what I consider the Weitzman School to be all about!

What’s next?
Looks like I'll have to wait and see.

Are you keeping in touch with others from your class/the Penn community?
Happy to say I do. And not just with my class, but with those in other departments as well. The Weitzman School is collaborative at its core and has allowed me to increase my community there exponentially. 

Any words of advice for prospective students?
Be open to the many experiences and classes the Weitzman School has to offer. I found some of the most impactful times were those I nearly said no to, or thought didn't exactly fit "my path."