Larissa McFall

Associate - Cohort 007

Larissa McFall designs for an equitable future.

Pursuing an architectural degree and construction management minor at Drexel University, McFall carries her identity into her work. Her designs reflect her social and cultural values-actively acknowledging the lived experience of her peers. As a designer, McFall looks at her work with a social justice lens. McFall plans to become a Citizen Architect who focuses on impact-driven design.

McFall connects theory with lived experience. Diving deeper into her understanding of the Black spatial experience, she received a certificate from MoMa’s “Reimagining Blackness and Architecture.” This coincided with her intense theoretical research for a paper dissecting the effects of colonialism as it relates to the built environment in the Bahamas, where half of her family is from.

McFall also has a deep interest in sustainability. While taking an introductory course on LEED principles, she proposed new language and educational elements for the U.S. Green Building Council to underpin more inclusive sustainable practices.

Observant and artistic, McFall sees all things from a unique and essential perspective. As a photographer, McFall sees the world in a different light. When shooting for Drexel’s D&M Magazine, she used her architectural knowledge to come up with a solution to create a scene for a themed shoot when her peers were stumped. Her most recent professional photography gig was becoming Creative Director of Photography for Monaedesigns, a candle company started by one of her friends.

In her free time, Larissa enjoys painting, recreational photography, and yoga. Over quarantine, she began stockpiling houseplants, and is now the proud mother of over 10 plant babies. Her music tastes range from Rico Nasty to Stromae, with many artists and genres in between. She still knows quite a bit of French from her high school days, but give her some time to practice in Duolingo first before striking a conversation en français!