February 2019 Chapter Leader of the Month: Reuben Cheeks
Prairie View A&M UniversityReuben Cheeks is currently in his fourth-year at Prairie View A&M University and is serving as the President of his chapter and a member of the AIAS Equity and Diversity Task Force. Reuben has also held roles as Treasurer & Freedom by Design Director.
Reuben was interested in joining AIAS his sophomore semester and eventually became a strong member in his junior year. As a member, he really enjoyed the fact that the AIAS would challenge students to expand their knowledge of architecture in college and in the professional realm. He never missed an event and is now a leading member of PVAMU.
While Reuben has been Chapter President, Prairie View has hosted their very first LEGO® Competition, held the first independently ran career fair, and struck a fire in the Freedom by Design program by helping initiate their first project. All of these efforts resulted in the overall growth of chapter membership.
Paul Bamson South Quad Director explains that Reuben’s dedication to service extends beyond his immediate AIAS chapter. “This past January, Reuben led volunteers from his AIAS chapter in aiding a family in need whose home was damaged by Hurricane Harvey in Houston, TX. The volunteer team put their architecture skills to work as they helped with minor demo and yard work. Over the course of his last semester at PVAMU as an undergraduate, Reuben expects to continue providing volunteer support for this family as they work to repair their home,” says Paul.
Reuben’s efforts and dedication do not go unnoticed by the PVAMU Faculty either. “Reuben really shows the determination as a leader. He has completely turned PVAMU AIAS around. Reuben will humbly accept any award given but his consciousness to help others, serve and his great skill in architecture make this a very easy nomination,” says John Okello, Assistant Visiting Professor of Architecture at PVAMU.
Reuben is excited to finish the year strong and set a strong foundation for the next leadership at this HBCU’s AIAS chapter.
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This ‘Chapter Leader of the Month’ feature is sponsored by the Benjamin Moore.