STUDENT-ATHLETE STORIES: GRANDA’S DRIVE TO BUILD A BETTER FUTURE

(Pictured above: Fiorella Granda at the 2019 Academic Excellence Breakfast | Photo by Seyran Mammadov)

Each Thursday, varsityblues.ca will highlight a U of T student-athlete and their academic pursuits. Each of these students achieved first class honours with an AGPA of at least 3.50 in the previous academic year. These are our Student-Athlete Stories.

Before Fiorella Granda's grandfather passed away in 2016, he told her he had dreamed that one of his grandchildren would become an architect - the Varsity Blues basketball veteran is now bringing that dream to life.

Granda is a third-year student at the University of Toronto's John H. Daniels Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, in the design specialist stream. She moved to Toronto from Lima, Peru in September 2008.

"My parents made the tough decision of leaving their family and friends behind in Lima as they were very adamant that my sister and I have the best education possible," said Granda.

Her grandfather was a Lima-based architect and owned his own firm. Granda grew up watching his projects come to life.

"I've always been interested in how structures can alter the world around us," she said. "When it came to choosing a career path, I chose architecture because it is a very creative profession and it involves a variety of skills. My grandfather always showed me the different buildings he designed, and to see the possibility of one of my designs come to life is a huge goal for me."

(Granda and her grandfather | Photo courtesy of Fiorella Granda)

Nearing the end of her third-year at U of T, the two-time academic all-Canadian has discovered her own career goals.

"My dream would be to work with sustainable architecture and to design affordable housing," she said. "My current field of study offers a variety of different courses to learn about design, the environment, as well and socioeconomic issues in the world today and how we can alter architecture to current ongoing problems."

Granda's passion for affordable housing not only stemmed from growing up in Lima, but also came to light given Toronto's current real estate climate.

"Working on affordable and sustainable housing has been a driving career factor for me, especially having grown up in Peru," she said. "Nowadays, especially within Toronto, we see tons of developments that are beyond reach for most Ontario residents. Affordable housing can provide financial stability and reduce costs in the long term. In my opinion, good design is affordable design."

(Granda mid-game at Goldring Centre for High Performance Sport in 2019 | Seyran Mammadov)

Granda praises the John H. Daniels Faculty for allowing her to reach her full potential.

"My favorite thing about architecture is its flexibility and how our professors push us to work to the best of our abilities," she said. "My favorite class so far at Daniels was ARC361 - A Housing Design Studio with Professor Adrian Phiffer, where our final project was to design a house for two inhabitants."

Even during the global pandemic, Granda has kept a tight schedule and insists that a positive attitude is key to success.

"Organization and time management is key," she said. "As a student-athlete, it is very easy to fall behind so having a strict schedule helps me stay on track. I also make sure to celebrate the little wins every day to keep pushing towards being the best version of myself."

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