NAHB's Student Chapters Helped Give Her Confidence to Pivot Careers
The daughter of an entrepreneurial father who built fences, fixed cars, and made a living through manual labor and mother who instilled the value of education and nurtured a passion of advocacy, Zhetique Gunn found inspiration from her father’s ability to build for others and her mother’s commitment to learning and service.
That early exposure to building and problem-solving sparked a path that would eventually lead to national recognition, city-level impact, and a career rooted in advocacy.
It’s also what led her to serve as a secretary at Prairie View A&M University’s NAHB Student Chapter, compete for the program at the International Builders' Show (IBS) Student Competition, and ultimately work for the District of Columbia as an urban designer.
"I learned a lot [through the student competition]," said Gunn. "All of the elements the competition required are also the skillsets that are required in professional practice."
Through the months-long preparation for the IBS stage, Gunn recalls learning about construction documents and budgets, researching cost estimate, and developing marketing skills.
"It really gave me a leg up when I graduated because some of the terms we needed to know, I already had that logic."
She was even able to use the multifamily development knowledge she had acquired from the competition in one of her post-graduation positions.
Gunn credits her professional journey from civil engineering student at the University of Houston to architecture major at Prairie View A&M University to her work as an urban designer to the various student clubs she found her voice in during college, including NAHB’s student chapters program.
"I would definitely recommend [student join their student chapter]," said Gunn. "I think you gain invaluable skills being able to network with professionals."
Gunn’s professional work has continued the legacy she began building in college, focusing on equity, public engagement, and systems-level change. After seven year in private practice architecture firms, she was ready for a new challenge and found a new avenue to tap into her desire to advocate for others.
In D.C., her day-to-day is spent in community engagement, inclusive urban planning, policy research, and project management. Whether she’s conducting neighborhood outreach or managing policy-informated design strategies, her goal remains the same: to ensure people feel seen, heard, and empowered in the place they live.
Over the next few years, Gunn’s hoping to continue shaping policy and community-centered design processes with an emphasis on communities of color affected by disinvestment and systemic injustices. Her aim is to empower communities to advocate for themselves so they can look back and think ‘I’m so grateful this happened for my community.’
Her advice to students pursuing construction and construction-adjacent careers?
"Don’t be afraid to pivot. There’s power in the pivot. I never saw myself transitioning into a government position or urban design, but it brough the fulfillment that I’ve been seeking.
"Had I not joined all of these organizations in college, which set the foundation of being able to network and build relationships and skillsets, I don’t think I would’ve been able to have the same path or been comfortable enough to pivot."