About me
Hello, my name is Alexander Anis. Currently, I am excelling in my academic pursuit of a BArch and beyond in Syracuse University's School of Architecture. My hobbies include Competitive Swimming, CrossFit, travel, 2D and 3D art, and design.
As a Third Culture Kid, I grew up at the crossroads of different cultures in the UAE, where most residents are expatriates. Growing up in this environment, I am naturally adaptive, able to cross cultures easily, open-minded, empathetic, and comfortable communicating across religious, political, ethnic, and cultural barriers.
Education
2011-2021
American Community School of Abu Dhabi
These components were exhibited in my high school environment; teachers and students from all over the world gather at the institution to learn and grow both intellectually and culturally.
2021-Current
Syracuse University
BArch (Bachelor of Architecture)
Syracuse was a challenging academic and cultural change, but I am overcoming obstacles and making progress. Compared to the beginning of the year, I have grown exponentially academically, personally, and socially.
Clubs and Associations
2021-2022
DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)
In my first year (2021-2022), I was a DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) board representative for my grade level within the school of architecture. This year, I dropped my DEI position to explore more positions within Syracuse University
2022-2023
Student Association
In 2022, I was voted in as one of two School of Architecture representatives for the Student Association. I maintained my position for two terms until I decided to not run again in 2023.
2022-Current
AIAS
I joined the AIAS association in my first year. So far, I have not contributed, but this year, I intend to take on a more active role.
Volunteer Work and Service
2013
St Anthony's Coptic Church: Deacon Outreach
The English-Speaking Bible study group reached out to laborers in work camps located in the industrial district of Mussafah and delivered care packages during the Muslim holy fast of Ramadan
2017-2018
Rustic Pathways
Rustic is a mission-driven company focused on creating the next generation of global leaders through transformative travel experiences.
2017
Nepal: BioGas Chamber Builder
Over a week long period, a group of ACS student built multiple bio-gas chambers for vernacular Nepali homes. In Nepalese culture, housewives are required to prepare meals. This means they must gather wood from nearby forests and cook in their homes. This is an extremely grueling process and causes many injuries and deaths yearly. The bio-gas chamber helps Nepalese women depend on the gas the chamber produces for cooking. This method uses animal and human waste to create a combustible gas which can be safely used for cooking.
2018
Tanzania: Constructed bathroom addition to School
Over a week long period, a group of ACS student built a bathroom addition to a local Tanzanian public school. Over this period, we also volunteered at the school to teach the children english. We also learned about the Tanzanian culture, language, and cuisine.
Certifications
2011-2021
PADI Rescue Diver
PADI® (Professional Association of Diving Instructors®) is the world’s largest ocean exploration and diver organization. The PADI Rescue Diver certification has taught me several skills that go beyond scuba diving, such as CPR, quick thinking and acting, and leadership.
Program Proficiency
Rhino 3D
A fundamental tool for designers and engineers, Rhino 3D is commercial 3D computer graphics and computer-aided design application software developed by TLM, Inc., dba Robert McNeel & Associates.
Fusion 360
Fusion 360 is a commercial computer-aided design, manufacturing, engineering, and printed circuit board design software application, developed by Autodesk.
Adobe Suite
Adobe Creative Cloud is a set of applications and services from Adobe for graphic design, video editing, web development, and photography, along with a set of mobile applications. I have listed the applications which I am proficient in below:
Illustrator
Adobe Illustrator is a vector graphics editor and design software used by designers to create work through the use of graphic tools. Adobe Illustrator is commonly used by architects for detail drawings, graphic design, and architectural drawing refinement.
Photoshop
Acrobat
Adobe Photoshop is a raster graphics editor used by designers to modify and refine photos.
Adobe Acrobat is a family of application software and Web services developed by Adobe Inc. to view, create, manipulate, print and manage PDF (Portable Document Format) files.
InDesign
Adobe InDesign is a desktop publishing and page layout designing software application which can be used to create works such as posters, flyers, brochures, magazines, newspapers, presentations, books and ebooks
Premiere Pro
After Effects
Adobe Premiere Pro is a timeline-based and non-linear video editing software application used by many professional cinematographers.
Adobe After Effects is a digital visual effects, motion graphics, and compositing application developed by Adobe; it is used in the post-production process of film making, video games and television production. Among other things, After Effects can be used for keying, tracking, compositing, and animation.
Firefly
Adobe Firefly is a public beta test phase generative machine learning model that is used in the field of design. Adobe Firefly is developed using Adobe's Sensei platform.
Aero
Adobe Aero is an augmented reality authoring and publishing tool by Adobe Inc. on Creative Cloud. Aero is available for iOS, although there are versions for macOS and Windows which are currently in public beta.
GIS
A geographic information system (GIS) consists of integrated computer hardware and software that store, manage, analyze, edit, output, and visualize geographic data. GIS Software such as ArcGIS and QGIS are used by many architects, engineers, and project managers to create and remotely analyze accurate 3D models and data of different locations.