Celebrating Connection, Community, and Culture: Olivia Booth & Rafael Sanabia at the 2025 NOMA Conference

This year, Wilmot Sanz proudly sent designers Olivia Booth and Rafael Sanabia to the 2025 National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA) Conference—an annual gathering dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in architecture and the broader design professions. Both returned with energy, inspiration, and renewed purpose that make this conference unlike any other.

Immersed in a National Community of Designers

The conference brought together a vibrant, diverse community of professionals, students, and emerging designers from across the country. For Olivia, stepping into this environment for the first time was both energizing and affirming. Rafael—attending for the first time as an emerging professional rather than a student—found the experience refreshingly new, offering a meaningful sense of belonging and connection.

Experiencing Kansas City: History, Culture, and Good BBQ

Between seminars, Olivia and Rafael had the chance to explore Kansas City, discovering the difference through the lens of locals. From public murals and historic districts to the iconic streetcar and Midtown Theatre, their scrapbook images capture the city’s character and warmth. And of course—no KC visit would be complete without the BBQ, which left a lasting impression.

Expanding Their Lens on Healthcare Design

Because healthcare is at the core of our work at Wilmot Sanz, both designers gravitated toward seminars focused on mental and physical well-being—whether inside clinical environments or in the community at large.

One session on adolescent mental health featured the award-winning Montage Health Ohana Center, demonstrating how neuroscience can shape environments that support healing, emotional safety, and staff resilience. Another explored the reimagining of community centers—such as the MLK Community Center case study—reminding attendees that healthcare extends well beyond exam rooms. It includes accessible, equitable community spaces that uplift and empower.

These sessions reinforced something central to our mission: healthcare design must serve the whole person—not only inside the clinic, but in the spaces where communities gather, learn, heal, and thrive.

Giving Back and Growing the Pipeline

A recurring theme throughout the conference was the importance of mentorship and early exposure to design careers. Programs like Architects in the Making and Black Architects in the Making highlight the profession’s commitment to growing the next generation of architects, especially in communities underrepresented in the field.

For Olivia and Rafael, these conversations were a reminder that representation matters—and that giving back is essential to both the future of architecture and the communities we serve.

Returning Inspired

Olivia and Rafael came back to Wilmot Sanz energized by the people they met, the stories they heard, and the work they witnessed. From powerful keynote moments to shared meals with peers, the 2025 NOMA Conference offered inspiration that will continue to shape their perspectives as healthcare designers.

We’re proud to support their participation—and proud to contribute to a profession that grows stronger, more inclusive, and more impactful with every generation.

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