This semester, we are highlighting alumni from each of our seven disciplines. This week, we talked to Adelle York! Adelle graduated from the Gibbs College of Architecture in 2012 with a bachelor’s degree in Architecture! She is now a graduate student at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. We caught up with Adelle to see what she’s been up to after graduating from GCA.
What is your current role as a graduate student?
I am currently working on my thesis for a Master in Design Studies in Urbanism, Landscape, and Ecology at Harvard GSD. This degree is a post-professional 2-year research degree catered toward those who are interested in pursuing research about the built environment.
What is your favorite thing about being a graduate student at Harvard?
The resources here are amazing. Every week there are at least 3-4 lectures or panel discussions from architects, designers, and scholars that are pioneering the field. My favorite in the recent past was Bruno Latour. I also really enjoy being a co-chair for Women in Design—a GSD student group that gained notoriety in 2013 for their widely-signed petition to acknowledge Denise Scott-Brown for the Pritzker Prize. We are continuing that legacy with bringing renewed attention to the complexity of issues that people who identify as female face in the design fields.
What does your day-to-day look like?
I typically have classes every day—some are at the GSD, some are at MIT, and last semester I took one at the Harvard Law School! I am a cyclist, so I bike to class and then typically find myself at one of the many amazing libraries on the Harvard campus. MDes students do not have studio, thus, we produce much more written work than design work and have more flexible schedules. I spend most of the day at the libraries reading and writing (right now I am reading David Delaney’s Territory: A Short Introduction), then try to give my mind a break with some physical exercise. I am a co-captain of the GSD soccer team, and we play at least twice a week either in a gym or across the Charles River at the outdoor turf fields.
What made you want to go into Architecture?
I think many people have romantic stories about their upbringing and how they always were interested in architecture. Me? I just played with Barbies, read a lot of books, got dirty outside, and fought with my siblings. Honestly, I didn’t know anything about the profession of architecture until I was enrolled in the program at OU. After a year of general studies at the University of North Texas, I gambled on an idea that the discipline would be a good fit from my interests and aptitude in painting and mathematics. Now I can’t imagine having done anything differently.
What is something that inspired you as a student or early on in your career?
Right after I graduated from OU, I worked for the Indigenous-owned firm 1Architecture in Tulsa. Through this experience, I was exposed to new ways of thinking by working closely with several different tribes. The complexity of the spatial politics of land as it relates to tribes and the state of Oklahoma inspired my research here at the GSD.
What is one of your favorite memories from being a student in the College of Architecture?
Before the Gould Hall was renovated, before we moved into Arch on Main (formerly Hobby Lobby; present-day Sprouts), the “old” Gould Hall provided us with a wonderfully productive, creative, messy space. The week before the building was vacated for good, we said our last goodbyes by splattering paint on several of the large walls and skateboarding up and down the ramps between studios. Someone also glued a stool to the ceiling.
What is the biggest piece of advice you would give to Architecture students or recent grads?
One thing that I feel strongly about is not going straight into grad school after graduating (if you are interested in graduate school at all). The five years spent between undergraduate and graduate school were some of the most formative in my architectural education, and they allowed me to develop a more focused interest in research and how to meaningfully engage with the built environment.
A project completed by Adelle in between GCA and grad school.
What experiences at the OU Gibbs College of Architecture contributed to your success?
The support from faculty and staff were absolutely crucial to my success in school and thereafter. I express my deepest gratitude for the opportunity to have connected with people who are committed to helping students explore their own academic interests, supporting them through research and award applications, and helping find financial aid and employment opportunities.
Questions submitted by our students:
What is your research in?
I’m studying the intersection of oil, urbanism, and Indigenous sovereignty in Oklahoma. I do a lot of research at the Oklahoma History Center.
What inspired you to go back to school and what’s your goal when you’re done?
I worked for five years before applying, which helped me bring into focus my reasons for going back to school. At 1Architecture I helped design many tribal projects and master plans and became interested in a broader level of engagement with the built environment- one that addresses issues of territory, borders and social inequities. I felt confined by the limits of the architecture profession as it typically exists, and I hope to bring this broader scope to a new type of hybrid practice.
What advice do you have for students who hope to apply to the GSD?
One thing that boosts incoming applications is to apply to the GSD Design Discovery program. It is a 6-week summer intensive program modeled after the core 1 studio for M. Arch 1s. I was an instructor last summer.
How do you feel about the gender representation status in higher education for architecture?
This is generally still an issue in most academic institutions. However, there are conversations that are merging around how to start to change the pedagogy, practice, and precedents that have historically been dominated by white male designers. If there is a silver lining, the SAM list showed us that the issue of identity discrimination has not gone away. It made the discussion more visible, enabling students, practitioners, and academics to form coalitions.
Editor’s Note: We would like to give a big thank you to Adelle for taking the time to answer our questions and give us a look into her life post-GCA. For a behind-the-scenes look, check out her story takeover in the highlights on our Instagram!
The Gibbs Design in Action Awards (GDAA) program, led by Dr. Wanda Liebermann, has announced its 2026–2027 funded student projects. The initiative supports design and research work that addresses social, cultural, and economic issues in the built environment through collaboration with faculty and community partners.
The OU Institute for Quality Communities (IQC) 2024 collaboration with the Historic Threatt Filling Station has been recognized in the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's newly released Byways Report: The Scenic Route to Rural Prosperity – a story-driven publication exploring how road trip culture and place-based tourism can fuel economic growth in rural communities.
The Gibbs College of Architecture is pleased to announce that Camille Germany, Chief of Staff, has been named the 2026 recipient of the university-wide Jennifer L. Wise Good Stewardship Award.
