Soraya Grace
she/they
view resume ︎︎︎
I am a designer, artist, and urbanist currently based in New York, deeply fascinated by how we interact with design, color, and the spaces that surround us.
Growing up in Los Angeles, I witnessed the impacts of uneven development, which motivated me to expand my design studies to address larger urban-scale challenges. My academic work centers on reimagining the kitchen as a prefigurative public space, exploring how public infrastructure can be redesigned to foster mutual aid, cooperative practices, and equitable access to resources. I am currently developing People’s Kitchen programming in East New York, that seeks to address food and housing justice through cooperative cooking practices and community-led investment.
I am also a research assistant for Evren Uzer at the School of Design Strategies at Parsons The New School, focusing on developing curriculum for a course "Community Engagement 101" for educators to foster more mutually beneficial external partnerships and community engagement. In this role, I have contributed to creating interactive modules that guide educators in building reciprocal relationships with community organizations, including a pilot workshop implemented in collaboration with a local housing nonprofit. Additionally, I work as a line cook at La Cantine's dinner service, Sunsets.