FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT OF VOICE

zrasti.voice@gmail.com

Zahra Rasti has just joined the University of Washington, College of Built Environments, Architecture Department, as an Assistant Teaching Professor, Beginning Design. She was previously a faculty member in the Department of Architecture within the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (CAED) at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. With a diverse background in teaching and research, she brings a rich skill set and a dedication to innovative design and social justice to the academic community. Her expertise lies in participatory and community-based design, where she views architecture as a driving force for change. In addition to her scholarly work, Zahra recently founded a non-profit organization called VOICE, which stands for Visual Outputs for Inclusive Change and Environments. Through VOICE, she continues to advocate for social and environmental justice, particularly in conflict-affected areas.

Having navigated the realms of architecture across the Middle East, Europe, and the United States, Zahra has acquired a robust foundation in design and urban systems. Her primary research focuses on visual documentation and social justice, complemented by her role in teaching various design and representational courses. Zahra holds a master’s degree from Lahti University of Applied Sciences, Finland, and gained international experience through her studies at Stuttgart University of Applied Sciences, Germany. Additionally, she earned a Bachelor of Architecture from Zanjan University, Iran.

LEAD GRAPHIC AND ARCHITECTURAL DESIGNER

jeclough.voice@gmail.com

Julia’s interdisciplinary education taught her to notate, sketch, and fancy the minutiae and stories of life. Stories are seeded within all of us. It is the desire to honor the depths of everyone’s story that drives Julia’s passion and commitment to VOICE. 

Julia holds a Master’s of Science degree from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA, USA. There, her Master’s work focused on designing a kit of parts to construct a temporary friction-fit shelter for refugees who need to leave dire situations. During her time at California Polytechnic State University, Julia also collaborated with SOM San Francisco on structural integration in skyscraper design and SOM Chicago on skyscraper vortex shedding analysis. 

She earned her Bachelor of Environmental Design, with a specialization in architecture, from the University of Colorado Boulder in Boulder, CO, USA. Her capstone work focused on how colonization, racism, architecture, infrastructure, and other elements of the built environment all fan the flames of violence against Native American women.

Julia has international architectural and construction experience through her work with the Mbesese Initiative of Sustainable Development in Same, Tanzania, Africa. 

She has gained rich cultural experience while adopting Nordic influenced design principles from her studies in Copenhagen, Denmark at the Danish Institute of Study Abroad. Field studies in Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki, Finland rounded out her time abroad.

SOFTWARE DEVELOPER

ttran.voice@gmail.com

Thien An Tran holds a Bachelor of Science in Software Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and has a solid background in full-stack development, cloud-based technologies, and machine learning. He has experience working on various projects, ranging from web applications to machine learning research, and have collaborated in multidisciplinary teams to deliver scalable and impactful solutions. He is skilled in modern programming languages and technologies, with a focus on creating user-friendly and efficient systems across different platforms. His expertise spans developing both frontend and backend systems, as well as integrating complex technologies to adapt to changing project needs.

COLLABORATOR

Rachel Leong’s design ethos weaves together architecture, fashion, set design, illustration, and furniture. She received her Bachelor of Architecture from California Polytechnic University, San Luis Obispo with a minor in Sustainable Environments. Her five years of architectural education culminated in a thesis that explored the influence of spatial elements within Chinese cultural enclaves shaped by immigration and assimilation, which was exemplified through 2D digital and analog drawings, “huggable” models using biomaterials, wood, and fabric, and a comprehensive book.

Rachel’s deep admiration for fashion design from a young age led her to Otis College of Art and Design to study fashion design and illustration in 2019. While at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, she helped initiate the Fashion and Student Trends club in 2020 as Design Director and led sewing and styling workshops to fellow students for two years. After her time abroad, she led the club, now Fashion, Innovation, Trendsetting, and Styling club (FITS) as President in their most successful year yet. The club’s events expanded to include multimedia workshops, photoshoots, a career panel, socials, collaborations with the local music scene, the CP Drag Club, and other creative organizations, and the annual fashion show. During their 3rd fashion show, Rachel led the 20-week design and construction of the show’s immersive set, which featured a living, breathing “creature” that floated 12’ above the spiral catwalk. This ambitious undertaking was the result of countless hours of collaboration and labor from students of all years across Cal Poly’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design.

During a study abroad year in Copenhagen at the Danish Institute of Study Abroad, Rachel studied Danish furniture design and designed and built a flat-pack stool out of plywood under the instruction of esteemed furniture designers and cabinetmakers. This experience also pushed her to study European urban design theory, Nordic design, Danish language and culture, visual communication, and Danish architecture.

Rachel currently works as an Architectural Designer at Populous in Kansas City, Missouri where she designs places where people love to be.