Alumni News
Architect Sarika Bajoria ’99 builds successful company and career “I’ve always been adventurous,” says award-winning architect Sarika Bajoria ’99 of her decision to leave her closeknit family in Calcutta, India, and fly halfway around the world to enroll at Luther in 1995. “Decorah was a big culture shock,” she says, “but living there allowed me to grow immensely by pushing me way beyond my comfort zone.” Bajoria flourished during her four years on campus, so successfully completing a triple major in art, mathematics, and physics that she earned admission to the master’s degree program at the University of Pennsylvania School of Design upon graduation in 1999. “My studies at Luther helped me approach my graduate studies in architecture from a very multidisciplinary approach,” she says. “Most architects don’t take that route, but it has worked out very well for me.” Today Bajoria is principal of Per-forma Studio (soon to be renamed as Sarika Bajoria Studio), an architecture and design firm she launched in 2005 while also logging long hours as a senior architectural designer at Skidmore, Owings and Merrill in New York and director of Architecture for Humanity NY Chapter (AFHNY). “I spent nights and weekends on Per-forma projects, entering various design competitions, and on AFHNY pro bono projects,” she recalls. Winning a competition for a large project in her native India gave Bajoria the confidence she needed to “take a leap of faith” and make Per-forma Studio her sole professional endeavor in 2010. In the four years since, Bajoria has continued to make a name for herself in the world of architecture and design. In 2013 she was featured on the cover of Engineering News Record, which also honored her as one of its “Top 20 under 40” winners that same year. In 2014 she graced the cover of Building Design+Construction’s April issue as one of its “Top 40 under 40” honorees. While the accolades are nice, Bajoria doesn’t measure success by the number of projects she lands or the number of honors she accrues. Instead, she says, “Success for me is loving what I do and not wanting to do anything else—I’m always profoundly optimistic and look at the possibilities in a situation rather than the setbacks and limitations.” Stress, of course, comes with the territory of overseeing projects around the world, but Bajoria long ago found an effective way to manage that stress and continually find the positive. “I practice meditation every day, even if only for five to 10 minutes,” she says. “The power of the mind is huge in maintaining a healthy outlook on life.”
—Sara Friedl-Putnam
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Luther Alumni Magazine
PHILIP BUBB is an attorney and litigator at Fredrickson & Byron in Des Moines, Iowa. SARA (DONHOWE) GOLDBERG is development officer-major gifts for Handicap International in Takoma Park, Md.
JENNIFER (LINDEMANN) HOEFER is a learning specialist in organization development and learning at Children’s Hospitals & Clinics of Minnesota in St. Paul.
JEN (SHAW) and JASON STEWARD live in Davenport, Iowa. She works in admissions at Palmer College of Chiropractic. He is vice president of finance for HNI Corporation.
2001 BEN BARCLAY earned a
master’s degree in English literature from Winona State University. He teaches English at St. Charles (Minn.) High School.
LES HOLLINGSWORTH was named assistant dean for the University of Wisconsin–Platteville College of Business, Industry, Life Science, and Agriculture.
ERICA BREWSTER is director of the Edward U. Demmer Memorial Library in Three Lakes, Wis.
CHRIS KNUTSON is staff development scientist for Beckman Coulter in Chaska, Minn. YULIYA MAKSIMOVAMARCUSON earned a Certified Business Analysis Professional designation from the International Institute of Business Analysis. She is business analysis practice lead at Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa in West Des Moines.
NICK BURDICK is music director at Ernest Righetti High School in Santa Maria, Fla.
MEGHANN OVRE-KRIESEL is office manager for Nanocopoeia in St. Paul, Minn.
The first Leave No Veteran Behind Investment Forum celebrating the five-year anniversary was attended by over 140 guests, including sponsors, donors, board members, government officials, LNVB program participants, and LNVB staff. Director of operations and cofounder ROY SARTIN ’02 (center) introduced two program participants who received scholarships. The title sponsor for the event, Chive Charities, gave $50,000 to the organization. Above: Ray and ELI WILLIAMSON ’02 (right) presented MAYNARD ANDERSON ’54 the first Community Builder Award for LNVB.