Architecture.
Design.
Sustainability.
Third Culture Identity.

Karen "Chi-Chi" Lin (Bachelor of Architecture 2013, Cornell University) believes in collaboration on all scales to lead projects promoting resilient, sustainable development from combining design and function in design solutions to synergy within a team.

These tenets inspired her to lead design-build projects from concept to construction in Bangladesh and South Africa. She is currently a team leader of Cornell University Sustainable Design, managing post-construction analysis and review for the Schoolhouse South Africa project. Before this, she was the Communications Leader and Editor-in-Chief for the Schoolhouse South Africa research compilation.

She is concurrently pursuing a minor in East Asian Studies, influenced by her 'third culture kid' identity as a Taiwanese-American growing up in Singapore and China. She aims to explore projects that respond to the culturally-specific design problems in East Asia: most notably high density.

Her leadership and efforts in sustainable development projects led to her recognition as a national Udall Scholar (2011), induction as a Quill and Dagger Senior Honor Society member (2011), and featured in Cornell Daily Sun's "Artist Spotlight" (2011).

This past semester, Chi-Chi studied architecture and Italian abroad in Italy with the Cornell in Rome program and interned at Rocchi Pavese, a local graphic design firm. Recently, she interned in Kerala, India for Raxa Collective, a sustainable hotel development group as an architecture consulting intern.

She enjoys running, traveling, and learning new languages. To date, she has completed 2 marathons, 1 half-marathon, 1 mini triathlon, and over 50 cross country and track races.