Women’s History Month
Women in Architecture: the Stories of Sedgewick + Ferweda’s Leading Ladies
Traditionally, architecture has always been a male-dominated field, spanning nearly every level in the profession from licensed architects to designers/drafters and project managers. Going back through the years, seeing women in architecture and/or design courses was a rarity at nearly every college. Oftentimes, men have made up more than 80 percent of students and professionals, so seeing women in a high-level position in the professional world used to be few and far between.
There is no doubt that women continue to face challenges in the STEAM area of study: Science, Technology, Engineering, the Arts and Mathematics; however, those roadblocks – at least during the past two decades – have been slowly removed from the paths of many women looking to make a living in traditionally male-dominated spaces.
Sedgewick + Ferweda Architects currently has four incredibly intelligent, talented, driven and passionate women in the office – and we’re proud to highlight the stories of Brianna Fuller, AIA; Annie Kufuor, Assoc. AIA; Lauren Meyer, Assoc. AIA; and Bailey Ramirez, Assoc. AIA.
Each one of them has contributed to Sedgewick + Ferweda’s recent growth in so many invaluable ways.
“As we all know, women’s and men’s brains are wired differently,” said Fuller. “Women tend to be more organized.”
Today, in 2024, we’re seeing increases like never before. According to Pew Research, women make up 50 percent of the STEAM workforce compared to their 47 percent holding of the general workforce.
Overall, the statistics never really discouraged Fuller, Kufuor, Meyer, or Ramirez. They knew what they wanted to do and were willing to put forth their best efforts. They continue to attend seminars, AIA training and other related educational courses in order to perfect their skills and better serve their clients.
So men dominate architecture? That’s what they say anyway.
But not at Sedgewick + Ferweda Architects, where the women have made incredible contributions to their firm and their clients, all while balancing marriages, children, and life at home.
They’re not secretaries, assistants, or receptionists.
They’re an architect, designers, and project managers.
“They’ve all been valuable members of our firm and will continue to help us move forward,” said Jeffrey Ferweda, Principal in Charge of Sedgewick + Ferweda Architects. “They all bring diverse skills to the table and work well together. I couldn’t be happier to have them.”
Annie a born professional drafter
Chasing a male-dominated career was never a big deal to Annie Kufuor…and for a couple of reasons: 1). She initially didn’t even realize that there has been a disproportionate ratio of men-to-women in the field; 2). In addition, she didn’t particularly care because she’s always known that her passion was architectural drafting, and she was going to follow the career path despite any perceived obstacles.
She actually wanted to be a licensed architect since fifth grade, which was her goal for the following 10 years. But it wasn’t until her sophomore year of college that she began to have doubts about the career choice. She was more interested in the technical side of things, and ultimately made the decision to focus on drafting.
“Taking a design and creating the construction documents from the design – that’s what I really like doing,” Kufuor said. “That’s what I think I’m best at. I’m very particular about our drawings! I have become the person who comes up with our standards and upholds them. I’m also the person to introduce or teach Revit drafting skills to the office.”
Kufuor would study her mother’s Better Homes & Gardens magazines as a child, putting herself into the featured floor plans and considering whether the designs were efficient. Her mom would try to flip the pages, but Kufuor would insist, “Wait, wait, I’m not done!…I used to draw a lot as a kid. Eventually, all of my sketchbooks were filled with floor plans.”
Her parents suggested that she should be an architect when she grew up, to which she replied: “What’s an architect?”
After looking into the field, she made the jump to the University of Michigan.
“My dad and his dad both went to UM-Flint, so he told me early on I should go to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor since they had an accredited architecture program. From that point, my ultimate goal – throughout my junior high and high school years – was to do well enough to be accepted.”
The inspiration was present. The will to succeed was strong, so she then began the process of doing what she used to see in the design magazines as a child.
“I went to Michigan, did some architecture prerequisites during my first two to three years, but ended up changing my mind about applying to the (Taubman) School of Architecture because I realized what architects did – and as an introvert, I wanted to draw all day, not talk to clients,” said Kufuor. “So I changed my major to classical archaeology (to complete a degree)…it was the closest thing to architecture that was available in the college that I was already in.”
Then the wheels started turning faster and faster. She wanted to make certain that she would have a marketable skill outside of her interest in archaeology (an incredibly limited field), so she decided to obtain her Associates in Computer Aided Drafting and Design.
Kufuor was all-in from that point.
“I started working at Sedgewick + Ferweda Architects in 2012 and the rest is history. It was actually at the school where I was getting the Associate’s that they (Sedgewick + Ferweda) found me – the staffing agency Jeff had hired reached out to the school asking if anyone met the qualifications. I was in my last term when I started working.”
A storied ending, indeed. After debating her course of action, Kufuor landed in the right spot. She’s been with Sedgewick + Ferweda for more than a decade and couldn’t be happier about pursuing architectural drafting, which has always been an interest since she was in the fifth grade.
“I took four years of CAD classes in high school and loved that,” she said with a smile. “I actually won 1st place in regionals and 1st in states in the Michigan Industrial Technology Education Society (MITES) competition during my junior year for a residential duplex design.”
During her senior year, she taught herself the 3D modeling software, Revit, and used it to create house plans for another teacher at the high school.
A true sign of someone with goals and passion is being proactive, creative and driven. She was bound to make things happen.
Essentially, she already had the knowledge of someone with an Associates Degree, but she wanted to get the degree to “prove that I knew what I was doing.”
Her attention to detail, ability to work closely with a team and communicate/teach ideas has put her in the upper echelon in the occupation.
Her sense of humor, personality, and demeanor have been a great fit at the firm since 2012, and will continue to be for years to come. Like her female counterparts at the firm, Kufuor demonstrates key characteristics of what it means to be a strong, professional woman in today’s modern workforce.
“To be honest, I didn’t even know it was a male-dominated field until coworkers mentioned it several years ago,” Kufuor elaborated. “Any architecture classes I took at Michigan were pretty evenly split. If anything, there were probably more females than males. In any case, I’ve never cared about or really noticed things like that because I have always felt more comfortable around a bunch of guys than women.”
Being a professional woman comes with great responsibility. Kufuor does a great job while on the clock, but she also makes certain that she has time for her husband and personal life. They’re both quite active in their church, setting aside time to work with their youth group.
Kufuor leads and teaches an ensemble of high school girls, further demonstrating her leadership qualities.
“Originally, I only got involved because my husband had been serving in the youth group for years by the time we got married. But over the last seven or so years, I’ve grown to really appreciate that I’m able to serve in this way,” she said. “Even though it’s one of the hardest things I do – again, I’m an introvert here!…
“But I love being able to share any wisdom or encouragement with them that I’ve learned throughout my life. And the girls are so bright!”
Mutual respect is evident, and Kufuor hopes to continue to teach life and career lessons to the youth group.
“They have also been an encouragement to me in so many ways. But I think as humans, our value is often tied to our performance. Maybe it’s more of a problem for men, but I know I struggled with getting my worth from my academic or athletic performance when I was younger,” she said. “Don’t get me wrong…I always say, ‘this is my dream job,’ and I want to do my work well; but there is a freedom in knowing that despite your performance, you still have inherent value and dignity. I hope women everywhere can learn to internalize that truth.”