David Cordaro '12
Distinguished Young Alumnus
David Cordaro is a 2012 graduate of Dowling Catholic and a third-generation alum. During his time at Dowling Catholic, he was heavily involved in the arts, including Drumline, school musicals, and the A Cappella, Chamber, and Show Choirs. He also was a member of the National Honor Society, National Council on Youth Leadership, and the SFL Club.
He earned a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Iowa State University and graduated from the Honors College with distinction. During his studies, he participated in the Architectural Association’s Spring Semester Programme in London. He was a member of the Iowa State University Drumline and was involved with The American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), DATUM Journal of Architecture, and numerous initiatives with his local church.
He currently resides in Chicago where he is the senior manager of communications for the Chicago Chapter of The American Institute of Architects (AIA Chicago) and the editor of Chicago Architect magazine. He previously worked as an architectural designer for Jahn/ and as a program instructor for the Chicago Architecture Center.
He has and continues to serve his community as chair of the Together in Joy Gala for St. Teresa of Avila Catholic Church and as an associate board member for Architreasures, which helps facilitate participatory art and design projects in underserved Chicago communities.
Among numerous honors and awards, David has been recognized with the Stewart Research Award, the Hansen Architectural Design Prize, and the Spiros Mentzelopoulos Book Award. He was awarded participation in a year-long intensive leadership program as a William Wilberforce Fellow and received the University Honors Program Funded Research Grant, the Kocimski Fund Award Research Travel Grant, and was recognized as an Extraordinary Young Adult by Catholic Digest magazine.
He remembers early morning drumline practices, late-night show choir rehearsals, and after-school musical run-throughs, but the strong sense of community stands out as the foundation of his most cherished memories at Dowling Catholic. He has found that being part of this legacy, one that has embraced his family for generations, has been incredibly inspiring. Throughout elementary and middle school, he looked forward to being surrounded by the welcoming environment. Now, after graduating, he’s grateful for the lifelong friendships that blossomed within the DCHS community.
