Student Spotlight: Anne Townsend’s commitment to service guides her graduate studies in architecture

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Anne Townsend (MArch ’27) joined the UVA School of Architecture’s Master of Architecture cohort this fall. Her background, which includes military training and leadership development, has guided her path to continue her education at UVA, with a strong commitment to a life of service. Townsend graduated from the Virginia Military Institute with Honors, and a Bachelor of Science in Civil and Environmental Engineering. She also received a double minor in Modern Languages and Cultures and Applied Mathematics. Among many recognitions, she was awarded the Institute Writing Program Thesis Award and the Civil Engineering Award for highest GPA in the major.
 
Townsend’s graduate studies are also being financially supported by the scholarship program founded by The American Institute of Steel Construction (AISC) Education Foundation. For the 2024-2025 academic year, the AISC Education Foundation awarded 55 students across the United States more than $200,000 in scholarships. Townsend received one of these national scholarships, which supports upper level undergraduate and graduate students in civil engineering, architectural engineering, construction engineering, materials/metallurgical engineering, construction management, and architecture programs in the United States.
 
“Our scholarships are the AISC Education Foundation's biggest investment in the next generation of our industry,” said AISC Director of Foundation Programs Maria Mnookin. “It's easy to be excited about that investment when we see these students' high academic caliber coupled with their passion for structural steel. Our collective future looks very bright, and we are thrilled to recognize these very deserving recipients.”

We asked Townsend to tell us more about her story, what brought her to study architecture, what she is excited about studying, and her future aspirations in the field.

Your background at the Virginia Military Institute affords you a unique perspective to studying architecture. Tell us about how this background has prepared you as a student new to graduate studies.

My time at the Virginia Military Institute has prepared me to approach challenges and obstacles with resilience and clarity. VMI really trains you to embrace your given circumstances – whether that’s operating in intense training environments, functioning daily with little sleep, or navigating physical and mental stress – and succeed, while remaining mission-oriented and carrying out a vision. I believe that this influence, as well as the influence of my faith, will continue to drive me to succeed throughout my graduate studies, while maintaining true to my values and serving those around me. 

Additionally, VMI has served as a tremendous architectural influence in my life – I’d grown up visiting the Institute and admiring the gothic-style Barracks and surrounding buildings, and grew to love the campus even more during my time there. I can’t wait to learn more about this historic architecture that I was surrounded by, and am thrilled that I’m still surrounded by beautiful historic architecture at UVA!

What brought you to deciding to study architecture?

Throughout my entire childhood I’ve been immersed in
 construction projects. Whether we were renovating our
 barn, building a bridge across the canal at our home,
 or constructing our home, my family always
 had a project (and still does).

Naturally, engineering and architecture have always been intriguing. After studying civil engineering and working at an internship, I realized that while I love engineering, I’m truly drawn to the creative aspect of architecture – and am interested in combining the two disciplines throughout my career.

What are you excited to learn about as an architecture student at UVA?

I am looking forward to learning more about historic architecture and adaptive reuse while at UVA. 

I believe that preserving our nation’s historical structures
and reusing our current structures are vital to the future 
success of our society – and also serve as a method of 
historic preservation for generations to come.

I’m also super excited about the possibility of studying abroad while at UVA, and am really interested in the Vicenza, Italy and Barcelona, Spain programs. I can’t wait to see where my time at UVA will take me!

You describe your commitment to service as a guiding value in your life which also aligns with the School’s values that emphasize the public mission of architecture. Looking ahead, how do you hope your service-driven approach might apply to your future as an architect?

I hope to serve my community and country throughout my life and career as an architect, whether that be through military service or public service. While I’m not certain where the future will take me, I’m interested in serving as an architect / engineer in the military and contributing to the infrastructure of our nation’s defense.

Having graduated from VMI, and now attending UVA – schools which both emphasize service to our communities and nation – values of service and selflessness have been impressed upon me. 

I believe that service begins with our day-to-day actions – 
and that every smile, small act of kindness, and helping
hand builds a community of support and
 encouragement around us. 

If the least we can do is make someone else’s day better, we’ve achieved something!