Hannah Kang ’25 Builds a Future in Architecture With Army ROTC Support

While Hannah Kang ’25 was growing up in Houston, Texas—by way of South Korea, where she was born—pursuing a degree at Syracuse University was never on her radar.

Then, a high school internship course found her shadowing renowned architect Jesse Hager of CONTENT Architecture, known for designing some of the most iconic cultural and institutional buildings in the Houston metropolitan region. An interest in the field was ignited, inspired by her mom’s study of architecture in college, and before long she found herself Googling “top-10 architecture schools”—the results led her to the high-ranking and NAAB-accredited Syracuse University School of Architecture.

“I realized that architecture was my calling because it really combined the aspects of STEM I liked best (mathematics, physics) with the arts, allowing me to work through creative challenges and utilize both the left side and right side of my brain,” Kang says.

Before she walks the stage with a bachelor of architecture (B.Arch) degree at Commencement as a member of the Class of 2025 on Sunday, Kang reflects on five years at Syracuse and the many makings of her uniquely Orange experience.

Army ROTC + Architecture = A Rare and Disciplined Path

When considering how to fund her education at a private, out-of-state university, Kang didn’t have to look further than her own father’s story for encouragement.

Back in South Korea, her dad completed his two years of mandatory military service and ultimately parlayed his military experience into an engineering degree. “He encouraged me to look into the Army ROTC [Reserve Officers’ Training Corps] pathway to fund my education, and I found out in short order how well-resourced and supportive Syracuse is of its military community,” Kang says. Connecting with the University’s National Veterans Resource Center at the Daniel and Gayle D’Aniello Building and Office of Veteran and Military Affairs helped her navigate the scholarship process and getting contracted into the Army ROTC program.

“It is not a common path to enroll in the ROTC while also pursuing architecture here, just because both programs are so rigorous and time-intensive,” Kang says, noting that she may be one of the only undergraduate architecture students in the school’s history to do both programs simultaneously.

“There was an adjustment period for sure—life in the architecture program and life in ROTC are two very different things,” Kang says, recalling the juxtaposition of late nights spent in Slocum Hall, home to the School of Architecture, doing design work and her early-morning ROTC workouts.

But the payoff was worth it and helped fuel her success at Syracuse. Her participation in Army ROTC taught Kang the importance of both resilience and time management, while lifting the financial burden and allowing her to participate in such memorable Syracuse offerings as study abroad without a second thought.

Broadening Perspectives With Study Abroad/Study Away and Internships

While Kang spent a majority of her undergraduate career within the four walls of Slocum, she also felt drawn to explore her passion for architecture off campus, leveraging study abroad and study away opportunities to immerse herself in the architectural gems of London, England, and New York City.

In spring 2023 she spent the semester studying at Faraday House, the University’s London home base, and spent her free time taking walking tours of the city and making use of easy travel throughout Europe to further expand her horizons.

Kang spent fall 2023 at the Fisher Center in New York City, an immersive semester that includes guest lectures, professional development and experiential learning opportunities in addition to course and studio work. She also had the specific goal of securing an internship based on her time in New York.

“I knew New York was the hub for architecture and design, and I also wanted to network during my time in the city,” says Kang, who landed a store design internship with URBN, a portfolio of global consumer brands that includes Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie and Free People.

Before that, she also interned with Whole Foods Market as a store design and development intern in summer 2023, sourced with support from the Career Services team within the School of Architecture.

Kang says her internship experiences working with high-profile global and national brands have been invaluable to determining her future path within the architecture profession. “I learned that while I enjoy store development and planning on the commercial side of things, I’d like to do it in a more holistic manner and across various brands, so that I’m not quite as confined to these specific brand identities,” she says as she prepares to enter the job market.

The Future Is Bright

As she seeks to secure a full-time position with an architecture or design firm, Kang is tapping into connections made through the co-ed professional fraternity she joined through the School of Architecture, Alpha Rho Chi, which has boosted the number of Syracuse Architecture alumni in her professional network.

“Rushing Alpha Rho Chi and tapping into the network of Orange alumni has made a huge difference because I actually know them—they’re not just connections on LinkedIn,” Kang says. “I’ve been able to go to my brothers for career advice and while seeking internship opportunities through the years. They give it to you straight because you are their friend or mentee, and they are eager to help the next generation of architects.”

She intends to return to school for a master’s degree at some point once she has a few years of professional experience, and will enter the ROTC Alumni Association and commission into the New York National Guard as a finance officer, continuing to provide service to her nation.

When asked about a uniquely Syracuse moment that stands out, Kang’s memory travels to the JMA Wireless Dome on a game day.

“As ROTC, we do the big flag at the [JMA Wireless] Dome for the football and basketball games and I love getting to be on the field and looking up to see all of the students in the student section and then all of the fans and alumni in the stands,” Kang says. “A big part of what drew me to Syracuse was the school spirit and seeing that in person in the Dome just gives me intangible pride—proud to be a cadet on campus and proud to be part of an institution like Syracuse University.”