Amanda is a native San Diegan who grew up with three younger siblings. She attended Rancho Santa Fe Elementary School and Torrey Pines High School. She played several sports and enjoyed tennis the most.

Amanda’s mother has had the most influence on her daughter, supporting her decision to become an architect early on. “As a child, I was always building, drawing, reading, and buying architecture books as souvenirs,” she said. “My mother and I would drive around different neighborhoods and look at open houses, so she inspired me with this pastime. I also grew up in a 1927 Lilian Rice Spanish Colonial house. This encouraged my curiosity in learning about history, architecture, and architectural theory.”

Amanda recently bought her first home and has done a lot of remodeling herself, including laying tile, installing the kitchen backsplash, some flooring, renovating the fireplace, and painting.

Fortunate to be an international traveler, a partial list of places she has visited includes Iceland, Egypt, South Korea, Argentina, Israel, Turkey, Greece, Germany, France, and Italy. “Traveling has developed and expanded my perspective, leading to many incredible experiences, tasting amazing food, appreciating architecture and other wonders of the world, as well as meeting people I never would have otherwise,” she said.

In addition to DIY projects at home, she loves to spend time with her family, including her husband, Chris, and their dog, Truffle,. Both she and Chris love to globetrot (they met in Italy). Their most recent trip together was to India for a friend’s wedding (The Taj Mahal, shown in photograph). In the next few years, they are hoping to cross Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and South Africa off their wish list.