How Amanda Bryant and the AIA International Emerging Professionals Committee are creating connections, mentorship, and leadership pathways across borders.
Emerging professionals working internationally often navigate more than the usual transition from education to practice. They may encounter unfamiliar systems of licensure, workplace cultures, professional expectations, and career pathways, often while living far from the networks that first supported them. The AIA International Emerging Professionals Committee seeks to ensure that they do not navigate these transitions alone.
Committee Chair Amanda Bryant, Assoc. AIA, understands this experience firsthand. After studying architecture and beginning her professional career in the United States, Amanda moved to the Netherlands, where she earned a Master of Science in Architecture and Urbanism from Delft University of Technology. Today, she practices as an urban designer in Rotterdam, working across architectural and urban scales to create inclusive and meaningful public spaces.
Amanda’s own journey through different educational, professional, and cultural contexts has shaped her commitment to building connections across borders. Her involvement with the AIA began as a student through the American Institute of Architecture Students, where she served in roles including peer mentor and chapter president. She later became active in AIA Continental Europe and now leads the AIA International Emerging Professionals Committee. Her path demonstrates how participation in professional organizations can grow from seeking community into creating opportunities for others.
Under Amanda’s leadership, the committee is developing a more connected and accessible platform for emerging professionals throughout the AIA International community. Its work brings together students, Associate AIA members, recently licensed architects, and professionals pursuing alternative or cross-border career paths.
A central initiative is the AIA International Global Mentorship Program. Through one-to-one mentoring and open online sessions, the program connects participants with professionals from different regions and stages of practice. The 2026 theme, Design by Discovery, encourages emerging professionals to question established approaches, exchange ideas, and discover new possibilities within architecture and design.
The committee also supports professional development through career and licensure resources, cross-chapter collaboration, and recognition initiatives such as the AIA International Emerging Architect Award. These programs are intended not only to celebrate achievement, but also to make diverse professional journeys more visible and help emerging professionals recognize that there is no single path toward meaningful practice or leadership.
Looking ahead, the committee hopes to expand its network of volunteers and strengthen representation across AIA International’s chapters and geographic areas. Members can contribute in many ways: serving as mentors, sharing career experiences, supporting events and publications, representing their region, or helping develop new initiatives.
Participation does not need to begin with a formal leadership position. It can begin by attending a program, sharing an idea, or offering support to another emerging professional. Each contribution helps create a stronger global professional community, one in which emerging architects can connect across borders, learn from one another, and grow into the next generation of leaders.
By Li Ren, AIA
AIA International Emerging Professionals Committee
AIA Middle East 2025 President
