Doctoral Student: Luis Felipe Flores Garzon, University of Oklahoma

Luis Felipe Flores Garzon

Doctoral Student

Felipe Flores is a second-year Ph.D. student in Planning, Design, and Construction at the University of Oklahoma (OU). Since his arrival at OU in Fall 2021, he has taught three classes at the C. Gibbs College of Architecture: Design Studio 1, Resilient Futures (Elective), and Telesis: The Architecture Student Journal (Elective). In addition to his responsibilities as an educator, he has participated in a national mentorship program (Stacked Mentorship Program), a research conference (National Conference for Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education), and a fellowship (Center for Peace and Development at OU). These efforts were recognized by the Architectural Research Centers Consortium (ARCC) in 2022 when he was awarded the King Medal. Moreover, he has participated in an exhibition (Muscogee (Creek) Tribal Towns Futurity Exhibit), two symposiums (Resilient Futures and Youth Perspectives on Climate Change), and two competitions (NOMA Student Design Competition and Tiny House International Design Competition) with the cooperation of students inside and outside the OU community. As a person of color and a graduate teaching assistant serving the OU community, he views these efforts as the synthesis of his main goal as an educator: to use design as a tool that celebrates diversity and, in doing so, to create a more inclusive, equitable, and caring society.

Honorable Mention: Joshua Lovett, University of Illinois Chicago