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January 9, 202601/06/26 – AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee Meeting: Strategies and Best Practices for Effective Networking
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Emerging New York Architects
The AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee (ENYA) encourages leadership among emerging architects (licensed 10 years or fewer) and allied professionals in the design and construction industry. We engage NYC’s diverse young professional community with an equally diverse slate of programming that focuses on career development, design excellence, and public outreach. Committee meetings are open to the public, and are held on the third Tuesday of every month at 6:30pm, both virtually and in-person at the Center for Architecture, unless otherwise noted.
On January 6, 2026, the AIANY Emerging New York Architects Committee was pleased to host its monthly committee meeting on the topic of “Strategies and Best Practices for Effective Networking,” presented by Sanah Mengi, Assoc. AIA, an Architectural Designer-Business Development currently working at Ennead Architects in New York City.
Mengi holds a Master’s in Architecture and Urban Design from Columbia University, where her research and studio work focused on the intersection of urbanism, sustainability, and community engagement. She is deeply passionate about building inclusive, impactful spaces and has worked across a wide range of typologies including cultural institutions, education, healthcare, and civic projects. Beyond architecture, Mengi is actively involved in mentorship, thought leadership, and expanding professional networks. She is finding her niche as a thought leader in professional practice, and constantly urges students to network and seek mentorships to define their path. She believes in a community based growth approach in architecture and urges others to build, nurture, and grow an architectural community.
Networking plays a crucial role in career development, and it’s advantageous to begin early. This workshop provided guidance on building and maintaining professional connections, utilizing social media for effective networking, and navigating both in-person and virtual networking environments. Through these exercises, attendees learned more about the dos and don’ts, who to reach out, effective opener, and explored different platforms and communities of networking, and how to maintain connections.
Special thanks to Karen Rose Cover, Associate Director of Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation, Career Services, for sharing the GSAPP community.
This event was curated and moderated by Hao-Yeh Lu, Co-Chair of AIANY Emerging New York Architects, with photography by Chia-Han Lin.