Nia Damgova will be completing her Master of Architecture degree from Drury University Hammon’s School of Architecture in May 2020. At the 2019 annual awards ceremony for the Hammons School of Architecture, Nia received the Catherina Kik Taylor Book Award, awarded to a 4th-year woman for showing outstanding ability in the first 4 years of the program. She was also recognized for the Liberal Arts Award, awarded to a student who exemplifies the liberal/professional architect through activities and leadership. Her projects have been nominated three times for HSA Librarium, a design competition open to upper-division students based on faculty nomination and juried in conjunction with thesis reviews. Nia also recently completed and won the AIA CSR EP Design Competition with Drury University.
From a young age, Nia knew she was going to be a designer. Initially, she was interested in being a toy/product designer, however after her family moved to the suburbs of Chicago, exposing her to a multitude of well-designed buildings, she found that she much prefers the idea of being able to design spaces that people can actively use and inhabit.
Not only does Nia share a passion for design, but also for music, languages, and animals. She is the principal cellist of the Drury Chamber Orchestra, as well as plays in the Drury String Quartet and Springfield-Drury Civic Orchestra. Not to mention she also plays the piano and is currently learning the violin! Her native tongue is Bulgarian, however, she also learned some French, Greek, and Russian. Nia studied abroad in Greece in 2018 and interned in China the summer of 2019. When Nia is not playing music or learning new languages, you can find her volunteering at local animal shelters.
