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Ashley Chiarelli (B.Arch. ’12, B.S. ’12, M.S. ’23) is Associate Partner and Director of Strategy and Foresight at Kirksey Architecture, helping organizations navigate complex decisions before design begins. In this month’s Alumni Spotlight, she reflects on her nontraditional career path and the value of thinking beyond traditional practice.

As environmental, technological, and social challenges continue to reshape our communities, the Hines College is expanding how we think about the future of design education, research, and practice. This issue, Designing What’s Next, highlights faculty and students whose work is opening new directions for a changing world, from climate adaptation and post-oil futures to historic preservation, cultural sustainability, and emerging approaches to landscape and resilience.

Gustavo Gonzalez Contreras earned first place in the The Ecological Design Challenge student category for Aftercast, a modular bench system that reimagines site furniture as ecological infrastructure. Developed in a studio, the project addresses flooding and erosion by stabilizing soil, guiding water flow, and supporting plant life.