An Interview with Caitlin Cifaloglio, AIA, for her 10th Anniversary at Thriven Design
Congratulations to Caitlin Cifaloglio, AIA, Project Architect at Thriven Design, on her 10th anniversary with the firm. We are thrilled to celebrate her contributions towards multifamily, market-rate, and mixed-use residential design over the last decade, including her recent role as Project Architect for the award-winning One Thompson Avenue project in Dover, New Jersey.
In honor of Caitlin’s career milestone, please enjoy a 10th anniversary interview in which she shares her most memorable moments with the firm, as well as advice for aspiring architects.
What led you to architecture as a career? Did anything, or anyone, in particular inspire you?
Caitlin: My high school CAD teacher really inspired me to be interested in design and helped me grow throughout high school. He even set me up with a sort of independent study senior year since I had taken all of the available courses already. It was a pergola project that I helped to design along with my CAD teacher and art teacher and a few art students. This pergola project was actually built in the courtyard at the center of the high school by the woodshop teacher and some of the students. My CAD teacher took a lot of his own time to help and guide me, and I really appreciate him for that.
How did your journey with Thriven Design begin, and what attracted you to the role initially?
Caitlin: I was not necessarily looking for alternate employment at the time. I was invited to Grass Roots in Washington, D.C. with AIA South Jersey. I met some folks there that worked with Thriven Design, and I was able to get my foot in the door that way. After I interviewed, I knew this was where I wanted to be.
I was not necessarily looking for alternate employment at the time. I was invited to Grass Roots in Washington, D.C. with AIA South Jersey. I met some folks there that worked with Thriven Design, and I was able to get my foot in the door that way. After I interviewed, I knew this was where I wanted to be.
Caitlin Cifaloglio, AIA
During your tenure at Thriven Design, what have been some of your most memorable moments?
Caitlin: I think just working on a project from the very start all the way through to the very end, including being on site through all of Construction Administration. The One Thompson Avenue project in Dover, New Jersey, won a NJ Future Smart Growth award, and I even was able to attend the award showcase last fall in New Brunswick. I got to see firsthand how impactful that project was for the town of Dover.
What advice would you give to aspiring architects just beginning their careers?
Caitlin: Don’t give up. I know it’s hard at the beginning with all the testing and everything, but it is worth it. It may take a little while to figure out the type of work that you want to be involved with, but get as much experience as you can doing different things, and you’ll know what you enjoy doing and don’t enjoy doing. And be honest with yourself. If you’re in a job that you don’t enjoy or are working on projects that you don’t enjoy, bring it up to your managers. A good manager will help guide you towards your goals.
