CVPA All-Star Series: Meredith Whitt

By Jen Kulju (M'04)

Meredith Whitt “was always creative as a child” growing up in Raleigh, North Carolina. She rode horses in high school and took classes that would prepare her to become a veterinarian. When it came time for college, she decided to follow in her father’s footsteps. “My dad went to JMU, and I wanted to carry on that legacy.” Whitt entered as a biology/pre-veterinary medicine major, but “had a change of heart” after taking her first studio class in architectural design (ARCd) with Evelyn Tickle, coordinator of the ARCd program at JMU. Professor Tickle “was enthusiastic and pushed me to think creatively and independently.”

Whitt switched her major to ARCd, and hasn’t looked back. As a junior, she won a J. Binford Walford Scholarship in Architecture. For the past three years, Whitt has been involved with the professional organizations of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) and American Society of Interior Designers (ASID), where she currently serves as the JMU chapter president. Now a senior graduating in May, Whitt has enjoyed putting her biology background to use on projects like applying the ability of tiny organisms called tardigrades to survive in environments (even in space) toward architecture she is developing. “The ARDd program has given me an opportunity to explore what I’m interested in and to work with individuals from different areas to create artistic solutions.”

March 27, 2018