Catching up with Taemi Izumi
Whenever Taemi Izumi reflects on her time in Huntington she is filled with memories of good friends and influential teachers. The Class of 2003 member has a warm feeling for her alma mater and, well, why shouldn’t she? It set the stage for her to earn a degree in architecture at Syracuse University and then land a position in Manhattan with a firm that features several international offices.
“I have some great memories from Huntington High School and my time in the school district,” Ms. Izumi said. “Some friends, like Christina Essopos, I have known since the first day of first grade at Washington Elementary, and when I look back at my time at Huntington, I remember those friends and teachers that really influenced me. Way back in Huntington Elementary, I remember Ms. [Patricia] Nowack encouraged me to read by lending me her private copy of Roald Dahl's ‘Matilda,’ which sparked my love and interest of literature.”
During her high school years, Ms. Izumi’s had a wide circle of friends, including Ms. Essopos and Jessica Fremed and Jaime Dicke, among many others. The core group remains in close contact today.
“I owe a great debt of gratitude to my teachers at Huntington High School,” said the Huntington grad, who currently calls the upper east side of Manhattan home. “My English teachers, including Ms. [Anne] Sanderson, Ms. [Helen] Anderson and Ms. [Kelly] Quintero, prepared me for the lengthy college essays ahead of me, and introduced me to classic and contemporary authors alike. I have many memories of lunch in Mr. [Donald] Chung's office for extra help in math and Mrs. [Doris] Quintilian's friendly and cheerful demeanor, no matter what havoc was happening in the classroom.”
The Blue Devil crew team was one of Ms. Izumi’s passions during high school. “Looking back, I learned a lot from the rowing team,” she said. “It taught me the importance of health, to never give up (10k races will do that), leadership and teamwork. I was voted captain and Most Improved Player, won the title of state champion in the Women's 4x race and placed fourth at Nationals in the Women's Jr. 2x. I made some of my closest friends from being on the team. With long hours practicing, traveling and racing, I really got to know my teammates and made some lasting friends.”
The college application process was made a little bit easier when Ms. Izumi called upon the expertise of then-college counselor Karen Schlendorf and Huntington’s college and career counseling center. Following her high school graduation she headed off to Syracuse University and enrolled in the School of Architecture’s five-year program there, graduating with a bachelor’s degree last May.
As a recent graduate, “some memories of college life are still fresh in my head,” she said. “For instance, it's snowy and cold [in Syracuse], and unlike Huntington, they do NOT give snow days! So, walking to class in four-feet of snow is not unheard of and requires serious motivation.”
Even for a top student like Ms. Izumi, the Syracuse program proved to be a challenging one. “I must admit that the architecture program is pretty difficult,” she acknowledged. “I learned how to build models, use architecture computer software, draw perspectives, elevations, plans, sections and diagrams. I took several theory and history courses, design studios and spent long, long hours in those studios. In my fourth year, I studied abroad for a semester in Florence, which allowed me to travel around Europe and soak up the culture. I got to see the work of the greats like Brunelleschi and wander the same streets that Michelangelo did 500 years ago.”
When she returned to America and Syracuse Ms. Izumi faced the “inevitable” fifth year of school and the need to complete her thesis. “This was by far the hardest year, as I spent the entire time investigating parasitic architecture in New York City and prepared the largest presentation I have created to date,” she said. “My thesis led me to design a punk rock venue that functions within a Catholic boys' school. I still have my work from that project and will always remember those days as being extremely physically and emotionally taxing.”
With her thesis completed, it was finally time to graduate and Ms. Izumi said she “proudly walked the processional as a Cum Laude, Dean's List, Syracuse University Founder's Scholar” in May. After completing her college program, she took some much needed time off to decompress after enduring five grueling years.
In October she began working at Hangar Design Group (www.hangardesigngroup.com) in Manhattan. “It's a small firm that does architecture, interior design and graphic design,” she said. “It's exactly what I was looking for. It allows me to learn and grow as a designer in many different design fields. It gives me a lot of responsibility and it's a great environment to work in. The firm has offices in Venice, Milan and Shanghai, with a lot of collaboration with our Italy offices. The firm just finished installing holiday window displays for Mikimoto, and is working on several high-end apartments and offices in Manhattan. I hope to take the Architecture Registration Exam soon and get my license, as well as become LEED certified (certified in “Green Building Design”).
Ms. Izumi’s photo and a brief profile of her are posted on Hangar Design’s website with other members of the company’s New York team. The firm is located in an open loft space at 1123 Broadway, Suite 707 at Madison Square Park near the Chelsea and Flatiron districts.
Her years at Syracuse Univ. and the suffocating schedule and academic demands placed upon Ms. Izumi required her to make many sacrifices. But, now she is resuming some longtime loves. “I joined the New York Symphonic Arts Ensemble, where I play violin,” she said. “Though I'm a little rusty, I try to remember Ms. [Lisa] Leonardi's words, ‘PRACTICE! PRACTICE! PRACTICE!’ I've also started reading and exercising again.” (Ms. Leonardi is Huntington’s orchestra director.)
No matter where she might live or work in the future, one thing is for sure: Ms. Izumi will continue to soak up her surroundings and all those she comes in contact with and grow from it all.
“I've taken away a lot from my experiences at Huntington and Syracuse,” she said. “I will always remember the friends I made at Huntington and the knowledge and experiences I gained from attending Huntington High School. I think that the crew team, in particular, taught me to keep going, even when a task seems impossible. This gave me the ambition to endure five years of hard work at Syracuse and become an architect in New York City.”
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