AIA Potomac Valley - Class of 2025 Emerging Professional Awards Program Winners

Class of 2025 Emerging Professional Awards Program Winners

AIAPV is excited to welcome the members of the Emerging Professional Awards Program (EPAP) Class of 2025. EPAP is AIAPV’s annual competition recognizing outstanding EP leaders and providing them with a yearlong opportunity to hone their leadership skills and professional development through mentorship with AIAPV’s Group of Fellows, our most accomplished members.

Our EPAP winners were honored on October 17, 2024, at AIAPV's Design + Leadership Awards ceremony. They each received a $500 cash award, stipend for professional development activities, and yearlong mentorship program with AIAPV’s Fellows. This year’s class includes four outstanding EPs, introduced below. They were chosen by a jury of AIAPV Fellows, based on an evaluation of their leadership potential.

EPAP Class of 2025 winners Xuan Vo and Narges Borumand receive their awards at AIAPV's Design + Leadership Awards 2024 at College Park City Hall. Fellow EPAP award winners Danielle Abe and Gabrielle Enguillado were unable to attend due to extenuating circumstances.

Photo left to right: EPAP winner Xuan Vo, AIAPV President Danyle Brooks, AIA, AIA Fellow Carl Elefante, FAIA, and EPAP winner Narges Bourmand.

Scroll down for additional photos of the Class of 2025 Winners at Design + Leadership Awards 2024.

Congratulations to our EPAP Class of 2025 members:

	Danielle DiBella, Associate AIA Danielle earned her Bachelors and Masters of Architecture, as well as her Masters of Community Planning from the University of Maryland College Park. She is a licensure candidate and has been working nearly a year as a member of Hord Coplan Macht’s design staff. Danielle has been proactive in leading Emerging Professionals activities at work and is a member of NCARB’s FY25 Experience Committee where she hopes to serve the profession and help others who are pursuing licensure.

	Narges Asgari Borumand A rising star at Torti Gallas + Partners, Narges is beginning her path to licensure and exploring the next steps in her career. Narges has a unique international background and perspective. After receiving her Bachelors in Architecture and Masters of Post Disaster Reconstruction in Iran, she subsequently received her Masters of Community Planning at the University of Maryland College Park. She is looking not only to enhance her skills and career trajectory, but also to contribute meaningfully to advance sustainable design principles and shaping the future of the built environment.

	Gabrielle Enguillado, Associate AIA Gabrielle is a BIM (Building Information Modeling) Manager and Architectural Project Designer for Leuterio Thomas, LLC. A graduate of Lawrence Technical University (Master of Architecture) and the University of Maryland College Park (Bachelor of Science in Architecture), Gabrielle possesses a profound proficiency working with cutting edge technologies. She is looking to further enhance her design skills, be inspired, discover what it truly means to be an architect, and pass on what she learns from this program.

	Xuan Vo, Associate AIA An Architectural Designer at Smolen Emr Ilkovitch Architects in Rockville, Maryland, Xuan is excited to take advantage of the EPAP program to grow personally and professionally. An award-winning graduate of the University of Maryland, Xuan is looking to bring fresh perspectives, innovative solutions, and a commitment to creating a more sustainable built environment. By embracing opportunities to learn and collaborate, she hopes to be part of a generation of architects that not only designs for the present, but also ensures a more resilient and sustainable future.