WOMEN IN DESIGN: A Discussion with Valerie Friedmann
The late morning sun slid languidly along the concrete walls as it made its daily rounds. It illuminated the contents of a small office on the fourth floor. A map of Tennessee, two shelves of books, a jar of water on a desk. And a smiling Valerie Friedmann, incredibly nice and eager to speak to you awesome designers today.
Valerie Friedmann has a long history at UT. She studied landscape design as an undergraduate, returning later to get her graduate degree in Landscape Architecture. Now she teaches some of the very same classes she once took. In the time between her degrees, she worked for Bullock Smith & Partners. The firm world was different than the academic one; the disparity between genders in the workplace was present, although not overwhelming. Roughly twenty five percent of her coworkers were female, and most were in their forties, exemplifying a more recent change in the composition of firms.
During this time, Professor Friedmann gained valuable work experience. Because the firm consisted of both architecture and landscape architecture employees, she worked with people in both fields. This gave her many opportunities to learn, as well as many valuable visits to construction sites and experiences with contractors. She remembers her first site visit as intimidating, but a great opportunity to learn. She found that being confident and personable, as well as telling many jokes, helped break the ice and show her capabilities.
Upon returning to UT to study landscape architecture at the graduate level, she discovered a love for teaching. Many of the qualities and traits that had made her successful both in school and in the working world – including leadership, a desire to help others, and a strong tenacity and dedication – were beneficial in the academic profession as well. In her third year of graduate school, Professor Friedmann also taught practicum. This served as a catalyst to her earlier thoughts about teaching. Her grandmother and role model was a teacher, and others often told her she was good at teaching; while she had entertained the thought, her younger self had not imagined teaching at the university level.
However, even with the learning curve that comes with any new job, she has adjusted well to her Landscape Architecture studios and other classes and projects. While her internship was not like what she had expected as a landscape design student, her graduate education and teaching experiences had prepared her well for being a professor. As she explains it, teaching the material helps her learn it better, and explaining it to others deepens her understanding of it. She notices a significant difference between students and clients. While clients typically have a firm idea of what they want, students are eternally investigating what they want and what they must do to achieve this.
With that in mind, Professor Friedmann advises students to be confident in your worth. If you have an idea, speak up; your ideas have value, so don’t be shy. When you’re in the work force, learn to negotiate because it will help you as your career progresses. But most of all, be confident because you’re awesome.
An interesting journey, spent on a scenic orange and white checkered road, has led Professor Friedmann to where she is today. As our paths cross hers during our years here, we should appreciate what she’s accomplished, what she is currently working on, and what she will do in the future.
If you want more information without needing to interact with people, start by going to: http://archdesign.utk.edu/faculty-staff/facultystaff/valerie-friedmann/
But a good old-fashioned conversation never hurts. In fact, it’s better. Do that instead.