Designing Success

Raveena Deshpande from Goa has been accepted into eight prestigious Master’s Degree in Architecture (M.Arch) programs in the United States. NT KURIOCITY gets more details

RAMANDEEP KAUR | NT KURIOCITY

Every Sunday, Raveena Deshpande’s father, an engineer passionate about architecture, would take her to visit construction sites, where she gained insight into how ideas on paper became real structures. Interactions with Charles Correa, who collaborated with her father on Goa’s Regional Plan 2021, also left a deep impact on her.

Inspired by Correa’s wisdom and her own fascination with architecture, Deshpande knew by the time she was in Class 10 that architecture was her true calling.

She has now brought immense pride to Goa as she has been accepted into the Master’s Degree in Architecture (M.Arch) programs at eight prestigious universities in the United States, including the highly sought-after Ivy League institutions, Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn).

She also received scholarships from numerous prestigious universities like Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), the University of Southern California (USC), the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and Georgia Tech Atlanta. She’s also been awarded a scholarship from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor, the alma mater of the legendary architect Charles Correa.

Another notable achievement is the Presidential Scholarship awarded by the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD). This scholarship, the highest and most esteemed honour conferred by RISD, is granted to only nine students, and she is the first architecture student to receive this accolade since the institution’s founding.

 “I was thrilled when I received an email from the graduate program director informing me about the scholarship. It’s an incredible honour to receive this prestigious award. It feels surreal,” says Deshpande, adding that she was overwhelmed when nearly every college she applied to accepted her and offered her tuition waivers, fellowships, and even airfare. “Even my dream Ivy League schools accepted me, which was gratifying and rewarding. I am inclined to choose RISD because it’s a top-notch design school with a curriculum focused solely on design. Also, they have offered me a prestigious presidential fellowship, an offer I can’t refuse,” she says.

An alumna of People’s High School and a gold medalist from Goa College of Architecture, Deshpande says that her education at People’s High School shaped her awareness of social and environmental issues. “Volunteering at the Panjim Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), and participating in INTACH projects, learning about waste management and making films about these issues, deeply influenced my commitment to these causes. I plan to incorporate these values into my future work by prioritising sustainable and socially responsible architectural practices,” she says.

In Class 9, Deshpande also represented Goa and India in Japan after winning the Inspire Awards in New Delhi, which was eye-opening for her. “Witnessing the incredible innovations in science and technology convinced me that research and design together have revolutionary potential to make a real difference in our world. This, in a big way, guided me to pursue architecture. I see architecture as a means to shape environments and create impact through thoughtful design,” she says.

During her architecture studies, she and her team also worked on solutions for housing the Vanarmare community, earning the OAN National Grant and Fellowship in 2021. “Vangad was very close to my heart. When we approached the community and asked how we could help, they responded, ‘How can we want anything else when we don’t have a proper roof over our heads?’ The community loses their homes’ thatch roofs annually to Goa’s torrential monsoons, spending a good part of each year rebuilding them,” she shares, adding that it broke their hearts to see a community living in 2022 in Goa without roofs and walls for a good part of the year. “We put our limited skills to use and arrived at a simple, functional, easy-to-build, and cost-effective solution. We received a grant to build one prototype,” she says, adding that today, the grant empowers the community through skill building and education. “This journey reinforced my belief in architecture’s power to improve lives.”

The daughter of Rahul Deshpande and chartered accountant Shilpa Deshpande, she further emphasises the significant contribution of the construction industry to climate change. “During my undergraduate studies, I observed that the prevailing façade design trend is structural glazing, which in a humid, tropical place like Goa or India in general, seemed environmentally irresponsible. Since then, I have been interested in exploring how to use environmentally responsible materials through design in contemporary architecture,” she says.

Looking ahead to her studies in the U.S., she expresses deep gratitude for her roots in Goa. “I am deeply grateful for everything Goa has given me—my education, friends, family, and life experiences,” she says, adding that she is eager to experience the United States, absorb its best offerings, and achieve something that will make Goa and her country proud.

Advice for aspiring architecture students

“As someone who is just starting out, I’m constantly learning and seeking advice. All I can say is focus and hard work worked for me.”