Shri Bala’s conviction that the beauty of urban spaces should be shared widely and fairly has been a constant throughout her high school years. Shri entered Falls Church HS and quickly embraced the broad cultural fabric of her school and community. Recognizing the impact of her school’s renovation and seeking to spread her love of architecture and urban spaces, she founded high school chapters of Habitat for Humanity (HFH) and the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS). Shri worked throughout the next four years with these organizations to address issues of food insecurity in her community and to provide students with opportunities to learn about equality and sustainability. During Shri’s tenure as chapter president for HFH, students participated in 23 building days, helping to construct 11 homes.
As a freshman, Shri founded an organization, GOLD2GREEN, through which her interests in urbanism and bio-diverse architecture coalesced. She worked with her school’s engineering department to design and obtain equipment to create self-watering planter buckets to grow a wide variety of vegetables. Through a partnership with Hands on Harvests, buckets and instructions were distributed to more than 80 Falls Church families to enable them to grow their own food. Shri believes that by working directly with the community, she is raising awareness of food waste and insecurity, turning hand-made temporary resources into lasting empowerment.
Shri’s advocacy led her to self-publish a book, Kai’s Dream, to raise children’s awareness of environmental and urban sustainability. Transported in a dream to the year 2100 when the world has been degraded, a young boy named Kai awakens with the determination to save the planet and his city from a fate of towering skyscrapers, polluted air, and trash-filled rivers. The book concludes with a call to action: Kai knew that even small actions could make a big difference. Shri donates proceeds from the sale of the book to AIAS, HFH, and GOLD2GREEN.
Shri’s advocacy also has focused on addressing racism and systemic barriers in the practice of architecture, and particularly their impact on Black communities. As a member AIAS’s Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, Shri organizes national workshops on equality within architecture studios. Last year, she spoke on a national stage at AIAS Grassroots on minority representation and studio resource inequality in the architecture industry. More recently, Shri worked with the Texas Freedom Colonies Project to preserve the heritage of Texas’ historic African American settlements’ built environment. Shri has catalogued and preserved stories of communities through community-based participatory research, oral histories, and ArcGIS with a goal that they will be rebuilt following the loss and neglect of their historical significance.
Shri’s AP human geography teacher, Paul Molholm, sums up Shri’s contributions, “[her] passion is real and infectious for sustainable urban design. She is a true student leader who is able to develop deep and meaningful relationships with anyone.” Shri hopes to pursue a major in Architecture with a concentration in Biomimicry and Urban Design, while studying public policy, historic preservation, and geospatial technology.
Links
Habitat for Humanity: HABITAT FOR HUMANITY WEBSITE
American Institute of Architecture Students: AIAS WEBSITE
GOLD2GREEN: GOLD2GREEN Instagram
Kai’s Dream: Kai's Dream Website (all information on the book)
Texas Colonies Freedom Project: The Texas Freedom Colonies ATLAS