Impact Stories

“AUB has always felt like an extension of home to me, and so it felt inevitable that it would be part of my education. I grew up playing in the AUB playgrounds since a lot of my friends’ parents worked and lived there,” says Sirena Varma (BArch ’14).

Sirena aspired to work in design, and found at AUB the perfect program to pursue her passion. “AUB has one of the best architecture programs in the region,” she notes. In addition to the enriching academic experience, Sirena looks back on her time at AUB with immense gratitude for the people she met along the way. “The friends that I made there have become like family to me. I absolutely loved the community I gained, and the beautiful campus which has so many memories for me,” Sirena comments.

Sirena is a multidisciplinary designer and visual artist. With her background in architecture from AUB, she takes an interdisciplinary approach to her work, and now has expertise in interior architecture, exhibition design, graphic design, and branding. “Driven by creative collaboration, I co-founded Twig, an interdisciplinary collaborative that empowers clients through flexible and iterative design solutions that cater to their changing needs. Some of our clients include major global brands and top tier academic institutions such as the United Nations Development Programme, Uber, the Beirut Art Center, the University of Chicago, Parsons the New School, and Stanford University. We have even worked with AUB, and designed the sports mascot, the AUB Phoenix,” Sirena notes. Sirena’s work encompasses a myriad of projects that represent a fusion of various disciplines, highlighting her passion for art. One of those projects is “Once Upon Align,” a card game that helps uncover team dynamics and provides a deeper understanding of the groups involved.

Sirena, who currently resides in Brisbane, Australia, credits her success in part to the support she received at AUB from both the Office of Financial Aid and the Philippe Jabre Scholarship. “The undergraduate architecture program that I pursued is a 5-year program and one of the longest degree programs. Had it not been for the support of AUB’s Financial Aid Office and the Philippe Jabre Scholarship, I would not have been able to do that, and would not be where I am today. I attribute a lot of my success to how much passion I have for design, and the financial support I received is what allowed me to pursue that passion,” Sirena concludes.