After beginning a professional career in sports broadcasting and reporting, Amber Kountz pivoted to chase her dream of becoming an architect. Her dream—sparked by a field trip taken during a summer program in elementary school piqued her interest in architecture—had, until she after began her sports broadcasting career, lay dormant. “I remember seeing a physical model in one of the office lobbies on the field trip and being in awe,” she recalled. “I got inspired to start building models at home and for school projects. From then on, I knew I wanted to be an architect, but I didn’t believe it could one day be a reality.”

Growing up in Connecticut and having an interest in sports, Amber attended the University of Connecticut and earned a Bachelor’s degree in communications. She used her communication degree to work for ESPN The Magazine and ESPN Films, where she had the opportunity to work on the Michael Jordan documentary, “The Last Dance.” In addition to being an on-camera reporter for local news and sports, she was a boxing commentator for Madison Square Garden Network, DAZN, and ESPN. And although she was working in sports media, Amber found she still carried that desire for architecture. Without knowing anyone in the field, however, she said it was difficult for her to chart a path to get there. So she decided to attend architecture lectures at Columbia University and Yale University after work, and slowly learned what it would take to become an architect. Then, decided to follow her passion and applied to the University of Miami School of Architecture.

“I can easily reach out to any one of my instructors for advice and guidance.
I always knew I had a support system behind me.”

Amber visited the UM campus and met several students and former graduate director, Allan Shulman. With her architecture goals in mind, she chose UM for her extended studies. However, she started graduate school during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. After attending her first-year classes remotely, Amber finally moved to Miami for her second year.

On the first day, she said she walked into the studio, made a formal introduction, sat down, and felt as if she had been sitting right next to the other students for the entire past year. “The conversation continued with such fluidity that the bond we formed through laughter, tears, and anger transferred through a computer monitor,” she said. “And that tight-knit community of students reflects the faculty and staff at UM. I can easily reach out to any one of my instructors for advice and guidance. I always knew I had a support system behind me. That was vital for someone without a background in architecture and no family or friends based in Florida.”

Amber has been active on campus and in the community throughout her time at the University. This year, Dean Rodolphe el-Khoury nominated her to represent the School of Architecture on the board of the Graduate Activity Fee Allocation Committee.

She also built a relationship with the University’s Frost Institute for Data Science and Computing (IDSC) where IDSC Advanced Computing director Ravi Vadapalli taught Amber about machine learning and helped her find ways AI can be used to detect emotions within an architectural space and to adapt accordingly. Dr. Vadapalli also encouraged Amber to apply for one of IDSC’s Grants Programs: the Advanced Computing for Students Grant.

Amber has been invited to numerous roundtable discussions on campus with visiting and prospective professors. She was awarded the Gensler Rising Black Designers Scholarship and the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMA) Miami Diversity Scholarship, and worked with the “Black Architects in the Making” group to assist in displaying student work at an exhibition in Orlando. Additionally, as a member of the University’s NOMAS chapter, Amber helped with the UTrailblazers interactive exhibit initiative, which debuted on campus in fall 2022. Last year, Amber served as secretary for the student organization Women In Construction.

All her extra-curricular activities were in addition to being a full-time student and working full time both for the University and outside of school, and yet, she finally earned her Master of Architecture degree (Construction Management). Congratulations, Amber!

“My goal is to one day wake up in a home where I developed the property, designed the building, and managed the construction,” Amber said. “When I head downstairs for a cup of tea, I will open an article in Architectural Digest or another architecture publication and read that one of my classmates’ designs is being honored internationally.”