Sam Gandhi

Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
Education Background: University of Missouri
Degree Program: B.S. Architectural Studies

How did you get interested in your field?
Before studying architecture, I was a filmmaking student at Emerson College in Boston. While I spent much of highschool writing and directing my own short films, and was excited to take it to the next level, I didn’t feel as inspired as I thought I would in its collegiate setting. I had a gut feeling to try something new, and I chose architecture due to its overlap with the creative process I loved. I thought the subconscious influence of set design, sound, and cinematography could be translated into buildings, so I decided to give architecture a shot instead.

What was your background prior to coming to Penn?
After leaving Emerson, I transferred to the University of Missouri and majored in Architectural Studies. While an A.S. degree often means a lot of writing and studying of history, mine was set up like an architecture degree. We had five design studios for projects in education, museums,
and urban mixed-use projects. Aside from school, I also used to be a competitive breakdancer, which fueled a love for hip hop that I incorporate into much of my design work.

Why did you choose Penn?
I chose Penn because of its devotion to exploration. Everything I’d seen on social media was so exciting, because the work being created was extremely diverse and unique. It was always obvious that the students were also highly skilled, due to the quality in the drawings I was seeing. And they were equally attentive to their constructability and theory. It was curiosity at a
high level, and all of this was confirmed when I came here this semester.

What do you like best about Philadelphia?
I love the connective tissue of communities, especially near and around Penn. We’re in a huge city where tons of ideas are being floated by numerous personality types. The neighborhoods where most students live are flooded with restaurants, stores, bars, and other institutions that
reduce resource scarcity and connect you to your surroundings.

What kinds of activities and/or organizations are you involved in?
Being that this is my first semester, I’m still trying to develop the habits that allow me to manage my assignments and free time, which is why I have yet to become involved in extracurriculars. I am a studio representative, which means that I advocate on behalf of my cohort to alleviate any
concerns people may have. I plan to become involved in student council, GAPSA (Penn’s grad student association), and Freaks of the Beat (the break dancing club here at Penn).

What are your career ambitions?
I want to start my career in a large firm to learn how its corporate structure works, and shortly after gaining licensure I hope to start my own firm. I’m not sure of a building typology to focus on, however I’m interested in the fusion of architecture with music and want to explore its potential through projects.