As Corpus Christi and the surrounding areas continue to grow and prosper, the need to foster strong future leaders in professions associated with the built environment is a necessity.
AIA Corpus Christi recognizes that architects simply don’t work alone – we rely upon engineers, planners, builders, contractors and more to bring our visions to life. We feel that building a strong alliance of the next generation of leaders will benefit all of our organizations, and even more importantly, our growing community.
As such, AIA Corpus Christi has developed the Built Environment Young Professionals Program to help these future leaders thrive in their careers and throughout our region.
This program spans across membership organizations related to the built environment, bringing these young, future leaders together for networking, socializing, education and training. Networking is the key to building lasting relationships, a vital element for keeping local business in the hands of our local professionals. Proper Education and training is key to understanding what it takes to lead a firm or business into the next generation. Socializing and getting to know your community on a personal level is vital to encouraging young leaders to fulfill their career aspirations here in Corpus Christi.
What Defines a Young Professional?
Young Leaders, emerging professionals, or whatever terminology an organization uses, are typically younger members of an association, often in their 20’s and 30’s but can be anyone who is actively working in the field and has a desire to further their career. It’s designed for the young – and the young at heart – who want to get more out of their professional organization and their career long into the future.
Why Collaborate?
Three reasons – Numbers, Time and Money
Numbers: Few, if any, of our local professional organizations have enough younger professionals to justify building their own, strong ‘Young Professionals’ program.
Time: Most of our local professional organizations are run by volunteers or a small number of paid staff. That means only so much time can be devoted toward building significant programs that speak to our members at all levels.
Money: Financial resources are at a premium for nearly all of our local professional organizations, and challenging decisions about how to spend our limited dollars are made every day.
By collaborating together, we can combine our numbers, time and money to develop a strong, relevant ‘Young Professionals’ program that benefits all of our organizations but doesn’t overwhelm any of our organizational resources.
Interesting in Learning More or Participating in B.E. Young Professionals?
Contact Nallely Chavarria, Assoc. AIA Corpus Christi Associate Director and Emerging Professionals Chair, at nallelychavarria@yahoo.com.