Congrats, Carmen!

Introducing BRW’s newest Architect—Carmen Madden, AIA!

Nothing feels better than completing a task that’s been on the To-Do list for a while. Just ask BRW’s newly licensed Architect, Carmen Madden. In her own words, checking this box has been a long time coming.

After earning her Master’s from the University of Kansas, Carmen found employment in Dallas. Getting licensed was always the goal but graduating into a recession threw a wrench into her plans. Before she knew it, a decade had flown by. It was time to make some changes.

Carmen started her process in the fall of 2019 and found the years of practical experience sometimes worked against her. The test is by the book – not always in alignment with how things work in the real world. She had to retest a couple of sections. Rather than let that knock her off course, she looked at it as an opportunity to gain experience. There were other obstacles, as well. Aggressive project schedules, commitment to professional “extracurriculars” like her involvement with BRW Practice Teams, finding time to study, and NCARB canceling scheduled exams due to the pandemic were all challenges that she had to workaround.

Carmen took her last exam on November 21st. And then she waited. Once her results showed up on her NCARB profile, well, that’s when she exhaled. She celebrated by heading home to Missouri to spend a most thankful of holidays with her family.

As for advice?

Do as many practice problems as you can get your hands on. Practice problems, collaborating with peers, and good old fashioned office banter were all beneficial in her process. But most importantly, get started sooner rather than later.

Like all good things, it was worth the wait. Congratulations Carmen!