A Match Made in Architecture

Roxana (B.Arch. ’00) and John Kariyannis (B.Arch. ’01) have been a remarkable duo ever since their days at New York Institute of Technology. It has only gotten better in the 18 years they have been married and raising their son and niece.

“We met in the Fundies class (Design Fundamentals) with Professor David Diamond,” says Roxana. “John was president of AIAS (American Institute of Architecture Students), and I was vice president. We were an amazing team running the student architecture club. We worked well together; we were a force.”

Roxana became interested in architecture because of her love of art.

“My high school AP [Advanced Placement] art teacher told me, ‘The bridge between art and a technical education is architecture.’ My eyes lit up. A world of creativity opened,” remembers Roxana, who witnessed a devastating earthquake in her native El Salvador as a 9-year-old girl. She saw the poorly constructed buildings crumble around her, leaving her family homeless—their impetus to move to the United States.

Roxana is now an associate vice president with AECOM, a multinational Fortune 500 integrated design and construction firm, where she started as an intern 20 years ago, a position that turned into an eight-year job. After a brief stint with another company, she rejoined AECOM in the Buildings + Places business line division.

Her husband, John, is the principal designer at his own firm on Long Island called EA Studio. He works with two architects at other firms on residential design and construction projects.

Besides meeting their future spouse, the Kariyannises say that meeting their influential professors was the next best thing that happened to them at New York Tech.

“Our professors, particularly Rodolfo Imas, truly inspired us,” John says. “Their guidance instilled in me the confidence to establish my own company and tackle diverse design projects. The ability for architects to conceptualize spatial designs and address challenges bolstered my self-assurance.”

The couple agrees that one of their most memorable experiences in the architecture program was the study abroad opportunity in which they spent a month traveling through Europe, studying the history of architecture.

“Abroad, we had the opportunity to delve into the intricate layers of architectural history,” John says. “Over the centuries, cities like Rome have been built upon previous eras, allowing us to witness the evolving architectural transformations. It was a unique experience because every day was dedicated solely to drawing, providing a focused environment without the usual stresses of daily life. There’s a depth and richness to architecture abroad that we often don’t encounter in the United States.”

By Ashley Festa