by Center for Architecture
AIA New York and the Center for Architecture are gearing up for Common Bond: The Center for Architecture Gala, taking place at Chelsea Piers, Pier 60 on October 22, 2026. The event serves as the single largest funding source for the Center for Architecture and celebrates design excellence in New York City, gathering together hundreds of professionals in the architecture, engineering, and construction communities. This year, Common Bond is honoring four leaders in architecture, housing, sustainability, and preservation for their contributions to the built environment: BIG–Bjarke Ingels Group, Sciame Construction, Sally Gilliland, Studio Museum in Harlem.
Each year at Common Bond, the Center for Architecture also awards scholarships to outstanding architecture students, chosen by area schools that have in turn been selected by our honorees. The scholarships offer critical support to our industry’s brightest students while they are still studying, seeking to help offset the growing financial burden placed on graduates that threatens to force many promising designers out of our professions.
Meet Our Scholarship Recipients
Christian Aguilar
Bachelor of Architecture, New York Institute of Technology, School of Architecture and Design
Christian Aguilar is a Bachelor of Architecture student in his fifth year at the New York Institute of Technology’s School of Architecture and Design. He expects to graduate in May 2027. His path toward architecture began with his creativity, but his education has taught him that architecture is about more than buildings. It is about people, their experiences, and the opportunities thoughtful design can create. His dedication has earned him recognition on NYIT’s Presidential Honor Roll, with selected work preserved in the School of Architecture and Design’s archives.
As a first-generation college student, Christian deeply values his education and appreciates the opportunities NYIT has provided. He is especially grateful for the incredible culture and sense of community built at NYIT. The professors, peers, and mentors he has met have played an important role in his growth. Christian currently serves as both a teaching assistant and a research assistant, which has strengthened his appreciation for education and mentorship. Christian understands the resilience and fortitude demanded by architecture.
After graduating, he plans to gain experience in architectural practice while continuing to build on his education. In the future, he hopes to guide students through the field and help create an environment where asking for guidance feels natural. Above all, he wants others to feel valued, supported, and confident that they belong in architecture.
Michaela Han
Bachelor of Architecture, The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art, School of Architecture
Michaela Han is a fourth-year Architecture student at The Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. She is a part of the architecture student council, where she serves as a class representative, helps organize school events, and designs posters. Within the school, she works as a Rhino Tutor in the Art, Architecture, Construction, and Engineering Lab, providing software aid to students. She has previously taught in Cooper Union’s Introduction to Architecture Summer Program, introducing high school students to the fundamentals of design and representation. Outside of her academic work, she manages the School of Architecture’s social media page, photographing events and documenting student work.
Her initial interest in architecture stemmed from traveling and experiencing architecture from different countries and cultures. Through her explorations in environmental technology and design, she developed an interest in how architecture can react to the environment and the way a building can accommodate extreme weather conditions. She aims to use design to support communities that suffer from the growing issue of climate change. Her work experience has also led to an interest in the digital tools used alongside environmental design. She hopes to expand her involvement in the software development and data analysis that guide sustainable design.
Nora Kelly
Candidate for Master of Architecture, Columbia University, Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation
Nora Kelly is an architectural designer bridging networks of design theory, building technology, and social justice. At Columbia GSAPP, her academic work investigates the social implications of new materials, asks how climate risks inform what and where we build, and imagines architectures of repair that restore biodiversity to depleted landscapes. Her research is strongly influenced by a year of service in New Mexico with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, a program she continues to support as a member of the Local Formation Team for the JVC Harlem community. She received her Bachelor of Science in Architectural Design from Stanford University and has worked with firms in San Francisco, London, New York, and the Midwest across office, multifamily, and aviation projects.