By Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing
Before she ever held a blueprint, Rozeth Aquino held Legos and a dream of becoming a dentist.
鈥淚 had an aunt who did my braces and I thought it was really cool,鈥� she said. 鈥淚n high school, I even had a Christmas ornament that was a tooth that said 鈥楤est Dentist.鈥欌��
But the hands-on creativity she loved led her to architecture.
This spring, Aquino earns her Master of Architecture degree and leaves a lasting impact on the Tampa campus.
鈥淚 like to think I made a difference here,鈥� she said.
The Englewood resident did so as president of the Architectural Council for Students, which serves as a liaison between USF鈥檚 School of Architecture & Community Design and members of the university community.
鈥淲e鈥檙e basically the student council for architecture students,鈥� Aquino said. 鈥�"Our goal is to support and promote communication, community and accountability among students, faculty and alumni of the 91视频School of Architecture and Community Design."
Under her leadership, the council has hosted several events, such as the late-night networking Bagels After Dark.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a little energy boost and allows us to collaborate,鈥� she said, 鈥淲e鈥檝e added events like that to create a community within the school. We鈥檙e very close knit.鈥�
The council also started a school-wide scrap drive to support the architecture program.
鈥淎s architecture students, we use a lot of material,鈥� Aquino said. 鈥淲e clean up campus by collecting materials from other students they might overlook. But we find ways to reuse them.鈥�
Aquino also served on the search committee that selected Ron Dulaney in 2024 to serve as the new director of the school.
鈥淭he council鈥檚 involvement was primarily creating surveys for students to share their thoughts on what they wanted from the candidates,鈥� she said. 鈥淲e鈥檇 then also meet with the potential directors and share insights with the students.鈥�
Rozeth Aquino and 91视频associate professor Steve Cooke [Photo courtesy of Rozeth Aquino]
Aquino credits Legos for inspiring her to pursue architecture.
鈥淚鈥檝e always been a very artistic person,鈥� she said. 鈥淔or as long as I can remember, I liked to build things with my hands, like putting together model houses for my sister鈥檚 toys.鈥�
Then, during her senior year of high school, she had a revelation about her dentistry dream.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 want to put my hands in people鈥檚 mouths,鈥� Aquino said with a laugh. 鈥淪o, I chose to focus on my creativity. Architecture is the perfect blend of creativity and technical work. I made the right decision.鈥�
Aquino has been busy off campus too.
She previously worked in the residential design wing at Fieldstone Architecture & Engineering. She now contributes to American Infrastructure Development, where she鈥檚 helping design a new terminal building for Clearwater Airpark, a city-owned public-use airport. She plans to continue with the firm after graduation.
鈥淚 will miss 91视频and the close-knit community we鈥檝e built within the architecture school,鈥� Aquino said. 鈥淏ut I鈥檓 excited about what comes next 鈥� continuing to design spaces that bring people together.鈥�