Director, TRiO Upward Bound
- M.Arch, Syracuse University
- B.A. Architecture, University of San Diego
- Design Discovery, Harvard University, Graduate School of Design
Sou Fang is Director of the University of San Diego TRIO Upward Bound under the Institute of College Initiatives. In this role, he has secured over $4.5M in federal and foundation grants to provide college access and support for low-income, first-generation, and underrepresented students.
Ethnically Hmong, Fang was born in a refugee camp in Phanat Nikhom, outside Bangkok, Thailand, and immigrated to Linda Vista in San Diego, CA. Fang is an alumnus of USD TRIO Upward Bound (UB), Student Support Services (SSS), and the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate (McNair Scholars) program.
Fang is a trained architect and was on the faculty at Syracuse University - School of Architecture, where he taught undergraduate design studios on urban revitalization strategies in shrinking cities. While at Syracuse Architecture, he led AUDTT, an academic group investigating the political economy of architecture and urbanism. His work has been exhibited internationally at the Shenzhen - Hong Kong Urbanism and Architecture Bi-City Biennale, the Venice Biennale, Saša Marčeta Foundation in Belgrade, the University of American College in Skopje, Syracuse University - School of Architecture, and the Syracuse Center of Excellence in Environmental and Energy Systems Innovations. He has held research positions at the Interactive Design and Visualization Lab (IDVL) at the Syracuse CoE, where he developed and calibrated Urban Building Energy Modeling (UBEM) applications. Fang has held design positions at Cottage Technologies, DOMAIN Office, Pyramid Management Group, FR-EE / Fernando Romero Enterprise (NYC), and Chandler Pierce Architects (NYC). He has been a design critic at Syracuse Architecture, Cornell AAP, Boston Architectural College, and the University of Nebraska, Lincoln.
Fang currently serves on the board for the Advance Forward Foundation, an organization dedicated to providing scholarships, mentorship, and financial fitness coaching to local first-generation and low-income high school students enrolling into college, as well as the Linda Vista Multicultural Fair, an organization celebrating over 30 languages, dialects, and cultures in the local community through an annual community-wide festival. He also serves in the City of San Diego's Arts & Culture Commission, reviewing grant proposals engaged in public art programs and cultural initiatives to enhance the city's cultural vibrancy and identity. Fang previously served on the board for the California Foundation Fund - Youth Entrepreneurship Institute, American Institute of Architects (AIA) California, Linda Vista Dollars for Scholars, and advisor for the Council on Opportunity in Education (COE) National TRIO Career Opportunity Initiative.