Ms. Stout’s Bachelor of Arts in English from George Washington University has influenced her understanding of architectural premises, providing a different lens through which to understand and contemplate architecture and inspiring an appreciation for story-telling as a mechanism for place-making. In her designs, “narrative” structures encourage buildings to become layered and meaningful poetic spaces. Site context and conceptual ideation of movement through sequences of spaces at multiple scales have informed Ms. Stout’s design process. It is a way of thinking that demands critical investigation, empathy with the client, and an understanding of the implications of program and space. While at the University of Maryland, Ms. Stout studied abroad in Scandinavia and Italy, where an appreciation of site and cultural context was further emphasized. In addition, Ms. Stout was a graduate teaching assistant from fall 2012 to the spring of 2015.