Fluid Mentoring Stories | Naiara Yumiko mentee 2022

I graduated in architecture in Brazil in 2016. My journey into architecture was a little unusual in that I had been studying Cinema until I decided that I wanted a career that would more directly impact people’s lives.

I want to use the tools that architecture has given me to work together with communities to build a better environment. I came to London soon after graduating and a few years later I did my Masters in Urban Design at University College London. 

The construction industry in the UK is entirely different to Brazil where I would have been fully licensed to work as an architect immediately after graduating. 

I have been trying to enter the construction industry for some time without success and I need to gain a better understanding of how the industry works here and the reasons for my lack of success in accessing it. 

I came across Fluid online via an organisation I was following called Resolve Collective. I decided to apply and found the application process easy and it felt good to tell my story and my truth after a long time of looking for a job. I’ve never had any mentoring before.

My mentor has helped me by talking about where my path lies. Katie is working with me to understand what I want to do and how she can help me to achieve my goal. She is currently looking at my CV and my portfolio, along with past cover letters that I’ve sent to prospective employers. We will be reviewing these in detail at our next session in two weeks’ time.

My first goal is to get a job in the industry so that I can better understand how it works here and get some much-needed experience. I’m hoping I can achieve this goal by the end of the year.

Further to getting my first job in the industry, Katie and I have discussed starting my own practice and working collectively with others who have a similar environmental ethos to mine. For this, I’ll need to put together a business plan, which she encourages me to do. 

Being on the Fluid mentoring programme with Katie has definitely made me more confident, and more aware of things that are in my favour. She’s given me an understanding of how to go about achieving my goals, building a network and finding my place in the built environment.