New Member News
Posted: Wed, Sep 09, 2026
Meet new member Rachel Carlson, CSI-S. Rachel is a 4th year architecture student at the University of Tennessee with a minor in Urban Studies. She currently works on campus as an Office Assistant for University Housing, manning the front desk in a residence hall and managing administrative issues. She plans to complete her studies in Knoxville and return to Chicago where she will pursue registration and eventually have her own architectural firm.
She is a student member of the CSI Knoxville chapter and serves as the President of the CSI Student Collaboration at UTK. “This is the student organization that is affiliated with the local chapter. Together we plan events for students like construction site visits, office tours, and other real-world experiences that students don’t always get to see. “I look forward to getting more students involved and spreading the word about CSI”.
When asked about how she learned about CSI, she explained,” I first heard about CSI in spring of 2025 from Geoffrey Cavalier, who was a guest at an AIAS meeting sharing some information about architecture licensure. He mentioned CSI and some of the valuable experiences he got from being a part of it, and after the meeting I inquired further. It seemed like a great opportunity, and he told me that they were trying to get more students involved at the time. I was hoping to get connected with some mentors in my field and learn some of the things I wouldn’t be getting in school.”
Growing up near Chicago had a strong influence on her pursuit of architecture. She explained how her interest in architecture began. “In high school I took a few engineering classes as electives and really enjoyed them. By the time my senior year rolled around, I had taken all the engineering courses, and I was looking for something else that would pique my interest. There was an introduction to architecture course that my teacher recommended, and during the class, I realized that was what I wanted to pursue. It had all the parts of engineering I liked, the technical skills and working with a team, and it had the creative design side. After further consideration, I realized that I have always was inclined towards architecture since I was a kid playing with Lego. Visiting Chicago so much as a kid played a role as well. This all clicked and suddenly it felt like I was on exactly the right path. I have only felt more validated in that decision as time goes on”.
Rachel loves hiking and the outdoors and found Knoxville was a very attractive option when researching universities. She also loves cats and has a feline companion named Michael. Other loves include museums, historic homes and travel. She recently spent the summer in Helsinki, Finland for a semester abroad. Rachel said, “I had never traveled outside of the country before and that was an incredible experience both in and outside of the classroom.”
Please introduce yourself to Rachel at your first opportunity and explain what part you play in our design and construction industry. You will all be richer for the encounter.
