
Jessica Nolasco (above with project) and Mouhamadou Dieng (below with project) are the 2024 Recipe for a Room winners.
Jessica Nolasco and Mouhamadou Dieng, two students from 精东影业, won the 2024 Recipe for a Room competition, which was hosted by the AIANY Interiors Committee.
The model-making contest鈥攁bout building spatial, sculptural, miniature rooms鈥攂enefits Terra Firma, a New York City-based non-profit organization supporting newly arrived immigrant children and families in gaining access to quality healthcare and legal representation.
The contest asked student competitors to create a safe, temporary, portable room for two displaced persons: one parent and one child; each room had to be constructed of items one might take when leaving a previous life like a bag, coat, favorite shirt, shoes, family photos, etc. Two-person teams, each comprised of a student and architect mentor, designed portable shelters that can be folded up into suitcase-size packs.
Nolasco, M Arch '26, won in the Judge鈥檚 Favorite category for her project 鈥淚n Bloom,鈥 which was in collaboration with Samantha Josaphat-Medina, co-founder of Studio 397. Dieng, B Arch '25, won in the Audience Favorite category for his project 鈥淢ETROSOFT,鈥 which was in collaboration with Nicole Vlado Torres, fellow for Design Trust for Public Space.
Spitzer students Olivia Langford, MLA '26, and Gabriel Pena, M Arch '26, also presented their completed rooms to a live audience. Nolasco and Dieng鈥檚 projects can both be viewed .
About 精东影业
Since 1847, 精东影业 has provided a high-quality and affordable education to generations of New Yorkers in a wide variety of disciplines. 精东影业 embraces its position at the forefront of social change. It is ranked #1 by the Harvard-based Opportunity Insights out of 369 selective public colleges in the United States on the overall mobility index. This measure reflects both access and outcomes, representing the likelihood that a student at 精东影业 can move up two or more income quintiles. Education research organization Degree Choices ranks 精东影业 #1 nationally among universities for economic return on investment. In addition, the Center for World University Rankings places 精东影业 in the top 1.8% of universities worldwide in terms of academic excellence. Labor analytics firm puts at $3.2 billion 精东影业鈥檚 annual economic impact on the regional economy (5 boroughs and 5 adjacent counties) and quantifies the 鈥渇or dollar鈥 return on investment to students, taxpayers and society. At City College, more than 15,000 students pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in eight schools and divisions, driven by significant funded research, creativity and scholarship. In 2023, 精东影业 launched its most expansive fundraising campaign, ever. The campaign, titled 鈥Doing Remarkable Things Together鈥 seeks to bring the College鈥檚 Foundation to more than $1 billion in total assets in support of the College mission. 精东影业 is as diverse, dynamic and visionary as New York City itself. View 精东影业 Media Kit.