The NOMAS (National Organization of Minority Architecture Students) Symposium 2015: “Breaking the Glass Ceiling” is geared towards bringing awareness to successful minorities and women who have been able to “Break the Glass Ceiling,” achieve lead positions and become successful in the field of architecture. As “we” succeed and break that glass ceiling, “we” realize that “we” become that representative and the trailblazer of our “group”. This symposium is also designed to help foster potential trailblazers to make the right decisions, develop analytical skills when addressing issues of qualifications, accept defeat as a form of encouragement, seek out mentors and become mentors themselves. This symposium will hopefully create an environment that brings light to the struggles minorities and women go through and promote the idea of equality in the workplace.
The NOMAS symposium will consist of a Keynote Address from Dina Griffin: President of [IDEA] and a Guest Lecture: “Le Corbusier:, The Forefather of Hip Hop?” from the Hip Hop Architect Michael Ford. It will also have a series of roundtable discussions and mini-lectures that participants can choose from. These topics will address common questions like how to survive the workplace, the struggles minorities face in the work force, types of leaders, and how to keep pushing for success even when it seems tough.