Meet the Associate Principals – Jill Cheng

What is your favorite city? Why?

Every city has its unique character and beauty. Out of all the cities I've visited so far; I would say Prague is at the top of my list. Prague is a very precious and memorable place for me because it is the first European city I ever visited, and the last European trip I took with my mother. It integrates centuries of history with modern innovation. Prague has an array of Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance, and Art Nouveau structures and sleek contemporary designs. Everything you learned about architecture in school comes alive in this city. Each corner captivates the eye and served as a great inspiration for me as a young architect.

What are your hobbies?

There are too many to count! At this moment, soccer! So that I can officially become a soccer mom after work.

Which project did you find the most rewarding to work on?

UCI Health-Irvine has been the most rewarding project that I have been involved with – both professionally and personally. Working on this new medical center has allowed me to further my leadership, teamwork, emotional intelligence, communication, organization and self-motivation skills. Personally, since the site is close to my home, it has been fun sharing the development with my family, especially my 9-year-old son. We frequently bike a trail nearby and he gets to see the medical center being constructed from the ground up. Now he agrees with me that being an architect is an awesome profession! 

What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever received?

The best advice I received was from my mom right after college. She told me, “It’s going to take a lot of hard work to balance work and life/family, but you should never give up.” Remembering this always keeps me motivated and encouraged.

What is something you learned in school that you still think about / use every day?

Pulling an all-nighter and still being functional the next day!