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Leslie Ponce-Díaz

RISD BArch + BFA

 Projects       About




¡Hola!


 I am currently a first-generation and Mexican-American 5th-year student studying Architecture at Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) with double minors in Nature Sustainability and
Latin American Cultural Studies.

I continue to explore my passions in architecture, community and education through my involvement within RISD and my
community organization, First-Gen Chisme.

Currently pursuing my final Architecture thesis year at RISD.

Beyond work, I enjoy making Mexican beaded jewelry and
playing soccer with my family! 

Contact me at lponcedi@risd.edu, resume and portfolio available upon request.


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“As a first-generation Mexican American college student, 2017 and 2019 Live Más Scholar Leslie Ponce-Díaz is pursuing her passion for art and design, while building community, embracing her culture, and encouraging other students to do the same. Leslie is no stranger to taking leaps and embarked on a journey from her home state of Kansas to Rhode Island where she studies architecture, coupled with sustainability and art history at Rhode Island School of Design. In the architectural world of grey, Leslie does not shy away from color, illuminating any room she walks into.”


- Live Más Taco Bell Foundation
Scholar Stories



“Leslie works daily to inject her creative energies and unwavering idealism into projects both on and off campus that address issues of equity, inclusion, community-building and social impact. A first-generation college student studying Architecture with a double concentration in Nature Culture Sustainability Studies and History, Philosophy and the Social Sciences at RISD, since stepping on to campus she has actively sought out involvement in local and global community engagement opportunities, understanding it as a vital way to strengthen and expand her academically grounded practice.”

- Former RISD President Rosanne Somerson
In nomination for Newman Civic Fellowship