The name Christian J. Hughes may not be familiar to many adults, but to over 150 school-age youth he is known as “Mr. Christian,” a person that cares about their education and them as a person.
He is known throughout Homewood, East Liberty, Lincoln-Larimer, Shadyside and the North Side, where you will find his wide smile and compassion for the vocation of architecture.
While growing up in Detroit since the age of 6 or 7, Hughes knew he wanted to be an architect. Highly influenced by his grandfather, uncles and aunt, Hughes credits his mother, a single parent, for providing the opportunity for him to do what he liked; drawing, taking things apart and putting them back together. “My Mom put me in art classes and programs to improve my math and critical thinking skills,” he said. After graduating high school as an honor student, he attended Hampton University’s five-year architecture Master’s Degree program.
With numerous years of architectural and urban design experience under his belt, Hughes, now 26, is driven to educate Kindergarten through 12th grade urban students on the principles of architecture. In 2013, he founded Drafting Dreams with the purpose to expose students to the principles of architecture and urban design through creative design exercises and design-oriented curricula. Hughes said the mission of Drafting Dreams is to inspire the next generation of design professionals and to increase women and minority interest and participation in design professions.
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