Ashley Morales and I had the immense privilege of sitting down with two (very) busy third-year architecture students in the middle of a deadline, Aleena Hussain and Elizabeth Mayen. As we chatted, Aleena and Elizabeth, who goes by Ellie, joined us with the telltale signs of studio chaos happening in the background - models in different states of completion, bleary eyed students passing by, lots of coffee. They are in the middle of their tower project - a grueling hazing ritual that Ashley and I remember well - and we are lucky to be meeting with them during daylight hours.
While balancing their studio work, Aleena and Ellie are the Cofounders of an ambitious, promising new venture at Cal Poly Pomona: Stable Magazine.
Stable is a student architecture publication that was conceived in the summer of 2024. As if recovering from their first year in architecture school wasn’t enough to keep them occupied, Aleena and Ellie were looking for a way to stay in touch and better engage themselves during the summer months. The girls found themselves a bit frustrated with the major - disconnected from upper-level architecture students and other students across the College of Environmental Design. They recognized there was so much talent and passion, but no concrete way to nurture meaningful connections between students studying Architecture, Art History, Visual Communications Design, or Landscape Architecture. Soon, Aleena’s sister planted the idea to start a magazine, which aligned with Aleena’s passion for writing and the joy it brought her since she was little. With this, the idea for an architecture student publication was born.
An Architecture Student Publication (ASP) general body meeting at Cal Poly Pomona. Courtesy of Stable and Danna Soussan
Aleena and Ellie describe meeting in library study rooms at Cal Poly Pomona to sketch and refine their ideas. The publication’s name was an important topic of discussion and debate for the publication’s cofounders, since they wanted to create a subtle nod to both Cal Poly Pomona and their work as architecture students. Rejects included “Node,” “Poppy,” and “Red,” but they gently landed on “Stable,” a double entendre referring to the school’s agricultural history (the majority of architecture students are headquartered in the “Interim Design Center,” near the horse stables) and the desire to create stable architectural design, or a structurally-stable building.
The students are currently wrapping up their first issue, which is aptly titled “Bad Ideas.” This issue will celebrate “the beautifully ugly, the mistakes, the regrets, the unethical, the unsafe, and the lessons.”
Cover for Issue 01, “Bad Ideas.” Courtesy of Stable, designed by Jonathan Vargas (CPPARC ‘25).
Aleena and Ellie explain that “it’s hard to see what’s a good idea and what’s a bad idea when you’re a student, and when you're in the middle of the design process,” which inspired the title. From day one, the intention was to create “a magazine for the students, by the students,” which further spoke to the name. As Chief Editor, Aleena explains that they collected work and submissions for this issue through a call for entries which the magazine editors then selected and refined, providing suggestions for how a submission might be more effective. Submissions came from across the College of Environmental Design, ranging from student projects, interviews, researched writing, and resources. Aleena describes the range of submissions, including a written piece about Penn Station from Art History student Pilar Rosales, and student work eagerly submitted by their instructors.
Art History student Pilar Rosales with a printed copy of her article. Courtesy of Stable and Danna Soussan.
In this ambitious undertaking, the two express that the Department of Architecture has stepped up to the plate and been fantastic with resources, helping connect the students to notable alumni, professionals in practice, and facilitating better connections across the College of Environmental Design.
The students of Stable also seem to have done an excellent job navigating a roadblock familiar to many campus organizations: student participation. “As visual people, it's most helpful to communicate in-person with physical layouts and media,” explains Ellie. In editing their first issue, they prefer physical markups as they review content, redlining drawings and asking for input from those inside and outside the club. They also explain the challenge of venturing into a unique endeavor and trying to get their name out there, and finding themselves asking “is there a right way to do this?” They were excited to learn that I had found Stable through Instagram, and that in some strange ways, the algorithm is working.
Celebrating their latest achievement, Stable is a 2025 recipient of a Graham Foundation Grant. Based in Chicago, the Graham Foundation was founded in 1956 as a way to “foster the development and exchange of diverse and challenging ideas about architecture and its role in the arts, culture, and society.” Advised by Professor Aaron Cayer, the students set to work last semester putting together their proposal with an aggressive timeline. Aleena, Ellie, and their classmate Valeria completed the submission while embroiled in their Spring Semester as second-year architecture students. It was a complicated process, where Cayer advised the team of three to “divide and conquer.” Ellie describes working with their advisor as “the best decision we made” through this process. Cayer has advised on other student magazines previously as a professor at the University of New Mexico and brought this experience to gently guide the students in the right direction. Aleena and Ellie explain that this submission was a huge accomplishment for the club, and one that sets a precedent. The two described having to switch between their “grant hat” and their “architecture student hat” as they dedicated their time to this effort outside of studio work.
The award of the Graham Foundation Grant will allow ASP to print physical copies of Stable. Their members are currently making final decisions for Stable’s print edition, such as paper weight and finish for the cover. They joke about weighing the philosophical and cultural implications of glossy versus matte finish for the cover - where glossy paper evokes a true, professional magazine like Vogue, but matte paper may be truer to the studio design process, redlining sheets of drawings pinned to a wall.
“Bad Ideas” in progress. Courtesy of Stable and Danna Soussan
Aleena describes the most rewarding part of this process as “being involved with the campus community, and being able to reach outside of the school by sitting with alumni and acclaimed architects.”
It was hard not to project my own excitement as their eyes lit up talking about Stable. Looking forward, Aleena and Ellie hope that this publication led by architecture students continues long after their time at Cal Poly Pomona, highlighting important work across the college.
At risk of repeating my previous blog post, it’s important to reiterate that only 1 in 4 licensed architects in the United States are women. Chatting with Aleena and Ellie, it became clear to me that Stable is an endeavor primarily led by female architecture students at Cal Poly Pomona, and that there is so much drive and passion in the next generation of designers. I can’t wait to see where they land.
The first issue, “Bad Ideas,” is set to release in early 2026, with talks of a release party... so Vogue. You can follow their progress on Instagram, at @cpp_stable.
The team:
The team behind Stable at Cal Poly Pomona is comprised of:
Aleena Hussain is the chief editor and a cofounder of Stable. She is the president of the Architecture Student Publication Club at Cal Poly Pomona within the university’s Department of Architecture. She grew up in Alhambra, California, and has a strong interest in writing.
Elizabeth Mayen is cofounder of Stable and oversees the magazine’s finances. She is the scheduler and treasurer of the Architecture Student Publication Club at Cal Poly Pomona. She was born and raised in East Hollywood, California, with an interest in interior design.
Valeria Parada is the head of graphic design and cofounder of Stable. She grew up in Long Beach, California, and is interested in graphic and visual art.
Ky Cordero is the Interim Head of Graphic Design. He currently attends Cal Poly Pomona as a B.Arch student with an interest in graphic design and project management. He grew up in a small town in Northern California and is interested in a career in civil architecture.
Angel Lopez is the head of writing and cofounder of Stable. Lopez also acts as a secretary for the Architecture Student Publication Club. He grew up in Alhambra, California, and is interested in woodworking.
Danna Soussan is the head of advertising and cofounder of Stable. She was born and raised in Houston, Texas. Soussan is interested in pursuing a career in architecture as a designer.
and advised by
Aaron Cayer is assistant professor of architecture at Cal Poly Pomona, where he is also the faculty advisor for Stable. Prior to his appointment at Cal Poly Pomona, he worked as assistant professor of architecture history (2018–2023) at the University of New Mexico where he was faculty advisor for the student journal TRACE. He is trained as an architect and historian, having received his PhD in architecture history from the University of California, Los Angeles as well as undergraduate and graduate degrees in architecture at Norwich University in Vermont. His first book, Incorporating Architects: How American Architecture Became a Practice of Empire (University of California Press, 2025) was published with Graham Foundation support. Cayer currently serves on the board of directors of The Architecture Lobby and the editorial board of the Journal of Architectural Education.
Want to get involved? AWA+D is eagerly pursuing a student chapter at Cal Poly Pomona - more information to follow soon!
Aryana Leland is a designer based in Denver, Colorado. She studied Architecture + Art History at Cal Poly Pomona, and her current interests are the Salem Witch Trials and focaccia.
All opinions are my own.