Gina Fernandes is a Ph.D. in Design candidate at North Carolina State University. She holds master's degrees in architecture and higher education. Fernandes's research focuses on how college students with multifaceted, intersecting identities develop a sense of belonging and mattering through the design of equitable learning environments. Before joining NCSU, Fernandes spent over five years working at an architecture firm in Washington, DC, and three years as an adjunct architecture professor at the University of the District of Columbia. Fernandes is an editor for the new Journal for the National Organization of Minority Architects (JNOMA).