I began my architectural study at Auburn University’s Rural Studio under the direction of the renowned architect Sambo Mockbee, a winner of the MacArthur Fellowship and the American Institute of Architects Gold Medal. This hands-on design | build program inspired me to complete undergraduate degrees in architecture and interior architecture, a minor in business, and a master’s degree in construction from Auburn with the purpose of preparing myself to use design to create transformative change in the built environment. After completing internships in New York, NY, Montgomery, AL, and Boston, MA, I seized an opportunity to work independently by managing the design and construction of a private estate in Jose Ignacio, Uruguay, which was ultimately published in multiple magazines and in the book, 12 Casas. Parlaying the success of this project, I returned from South America to my hometown of Nashville, TN and founded Pfeffer Torode Architecture in 2010. I am fundamentally driven by the act of creation. Regardless of project scope, scale, or style, it is about translating an idea and harnessing the required resources into the built environment.