Architecture Visionary and Emerging Talent to Speak at Wentworth’s Spring 2026 Commencement
A nationally recognized architecture student and a renowned industry leader in design will take center stage as the featured speakers at Wentworth Institute of Technology’s April Commencement.
Vickie Alani, AIA, Managing Director and Principal atPerkins&Willand a Wentworth Trustee, will deliver the keynote address, while Master of Architecture graduate Sarah Carpenter, M.Arch ’26, has been selected as the student speaker. Both speakers reflect Wentworth’s emphasis on design excellence, leadership, and community engagement.
Keynote Speaker: R. Vickie Alani, AIA
Trained as both an architect and an interior designer, R. Vickie Alani approaches design as one continuous experience. She holds a Bachelor of Architecture and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design. With more than three decades of practice across academic, multifamily residential, hospitality, and corporate environments, she currently serves as Managing Director and Principal of the Boston studio of Perkins&Will. Prior to this role, she spent years as a Senior Principal at CBT Architects leading complex, high-profile projects.
An internationally recognized voice on housing and residential design, Alani translates evolving lifestyle trends into environments that reflect how people live, work, and connect today. Beyond her design work, she is a dedicated mentor and advocate for expanding pathways for women in design.
She serves on the Women’s Network Advisory Board of the Boston Chamber of Commerce and the Board of Directors for Artists for Humanity. As a member of Wentworth’s Board of Trustees, she brings a perspective rooted in design innovation and community impact, continually supporting the university’s mission to prepare the next generation of makers and creators. During the ceremony, the university will also award Alani an Honorary Doctor of Architecture degree.
Student Speaker: Sarah Carpenter, Master of Architecture ’26
Sarah Carpenter has distinguished herself as one of the standout students in Wentworth’s School of Architecture and Design. An alum of the Bachelor of Science in Architecture program with a minor in Business Analytics and a concentration in Adaptive Interventions, Carpenter graduated with the highest cumulative GPA in her class and earned the President's Award for Academic Excellence.
Recently named among the top architecture graduate students in North America as a Metropolis magazine Future100 recipient, Carpenter has built an impressive portfolio ranging from affordable housing for domestic violence survivors to an aquaculture ecosystem in Venice. She has also gained valuable industry experience by completing four internships across Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. Deeply engaged with the campus community, she has served as an architecture tutor, SPEC mentor, Graduate Research Fellow, and the Graduate Dean's Student Council representative.
Spring Commencement will take place at the MGM Music Hall in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston. For more information, including important deadlines, head to the official Wentworth Commencement website.