Meet Carolina Bonfada | Master Architect and Design & Coach of Jiu-Jitsu

We had the good fortune of connecting with Carolina Bonfada and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Carolina, can you tell us more about your background and the role it’s played in shaping who you are today?
I am Brazilian, I come from a traditional family of immigrants from Italy and Germany. I had a very good upbringing during my childhood. Being a city in the south, where there were Europeans immigrants, it was normal to have a farm and produce food and achieve what you wanted. My parents always taught me that I should study, work and have a career. I was always a very active and restless child, playing and inventing adventures and projects outdoors.
My mother, grandmother and aunts taught me crafts, such as tapestry, embroidery, and jewelry. But I always prefer outdoor activities, I used to have more boy as friends, and I used to play soccer in school, then I played for the Grêmio a famous team in my hometown. I started going to the gym to work out since I was 13 years old. I always liked fighting and I managed to convince my mother and sister to take boxing classes at the gym.
When I was 13, my mother took me to a craft fair and I sold some jewelry that I had made. I remember that I made some sales, and I was very happy because I had some sales.
When I turned 15, I got an internship at a gym, with a contract. I worked at the reception and didn’t have to pay to use the gym or pool.
When my contract ended, I went to work at a hair salon in the mall. I remember that I would leave school, have lunch, and ride my bike to work from 2:00 to 10:00.
When I graduated from high school (2009), I signed up to study Architecture and Urban Planning. I started studying at that time and doing scientific research to help pay my Bacharel Degree. After a month, I gotten an internship in the field, a nice Japanease landscape wand drawing office.
I gained a lot of weight during the first semester of University and decided to go back to practicing a sport, a friend introduced me Jiu-Jitsu, and from the first moment I enter the MAT, I fell in love with the martial art.
I’ve always enjoyed competing in architecture and sports as well. Around this time I started a video production and editing course, which involved 3D manipulation and is one of the things I love to do the most. At that time, I created my YouTube channel to post my personal projects and videos for competitions. I’ve also always enjoyed traveling, so I took advantage of it to compete in international competitions. I’ve traveled to France, Spain, Germany, England, and the United States to compete.
I believe that this past brought me to San Diego. During architecture school, I fell in love with a building in Torrey Pines and dreamed to visit it, but I never thought it would be possible to live in such an incredible place, because my family couldn’t afford to help me. In 2014 participated two contest of scholarship (one of them was selected based on a video telling my story, which is still available on my YouTube channel) I won the both one was to Italy and the another for anywhere in the world. I decided to come to San Diego and study at the New School of Architecture and Design, where I stayed for a few months and experienced a reality very different from my own. I didn’t have to work and had access to the best materials and 24-hour access to the studio. My routine was to stay in the studio until 3 a.m. and go to the gym to relax after a day of studying. Then I went to Spain to start my master’s degree, where I was accepted at the Polytechnic University of Madrid, but I decided to do my master’s degree in design, new subjects, and technologies in Brazil. I met a colleague from San Diego again and he asked me to help him with a project in the San Francisco area. I agreed to do the project. A few months later, he called me to see how the work was going, and I went there, where I was able to see one of my dreams come true in the United States. I helped him with a few more projects, but I couldn’t be in the United States and work, so from Brazil I researched whether there was a visa I could apply for, which I applied for and was approved for. I currently work at one of the largest architecture firms in California, with projects in my portfolio such as Rady Shell, the Convention Center, and the Public Library. I also teach Jiu-Jitsu at the Alliance Academy in San Marcos.
I believe that since I’ve always loved working, I’m in the right place, because here I feel that I feel valued as an architect and as a martial arts teacher.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
When I entered the architecture and urban planning college, I went all out, because I knew how expensive and difficult it is to have a degree like this. I became extremely addicted to studying and improving my career. I remember one day walking to the university, it was more than a 30-minute walk, passing through a favela, one day I walked with a notebook, disguised in a bag, and a guy shouted I don’t care, I’ll cut my hand and take it with the computer. I always had a research scholarship, where I learned how to navigate architecture programs and learned more about the history of architecture. I also always worked to pay for college, first as an intern at an engineering firm, doing accessibility projects for schools, then for a real estate brokerage firm, creating possible projects on luxury land. And I did an internship doing freehand drawings and 3D modeling, where I grew within the company and when I graduated I became the coordinator of project creation.
I almost dropped out of college because it was too expensive, and I was the university’s poster girl because I won many awards in the field. When I won the scholarship in my 5th year of architecture to come to San Diego, I saw that I really had talent and that all the hardships were worth it. I was at the best school and was recognized, so much so that the dean of the college came to see the presentation of my final project. Of course, I spent days without sleeping working in the studio, but it was worth it (one of the photos attached). Since last year, I have been working at one of the largest architecture firms in the city, with projects such as the public library, convention center, Rady Shell, and Portside Pier. I am currently working on major projects, including the recently announced Maritime Museum, which makes me feel fulfilled as an architect, as it will be a landmark for the city. My lesson from this journey is to never put limits on your dreams and goals. No one, not even yourself, can say that something is not possible. Currently, on my YouTube channel, I show my travels around the world, create software tutorials, and teach people how to get a green card, with the aim of helping people see the world from my perspective and showing that anything is possible when we invest in our passion.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
My friends know me and they know that if they’re going to be with me, they have to be prepared to walk, hike and endure a day of excitement.
First, I would take him to my favorite place in San Diego, Torrey Pines (one of the photos I sent), I would start there with a paragliding ride, and then have a nice sandwich and juice outside on the Gliderport observation deck, after a little hiking going down to Blacks’ Beach.Another day, breakfast at Breakfast Republic, to start the day with a traditional coffee, a walk along the beach from Mission Beach to La Jolla Shores, of course passing through Belmont Park, a mandatory stop on this route is the Waterbar, with a wonderful view that absorbs the vibe of the people who pass by there, ending the day passing by the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego.
The next day, a beach day starting with surfing at Windansea Beach, for lunch stop at Leucadia, one of the best pizzas and calzones, believe me, Italian roots. A walk in downtown Encinitas and the rest of the day to sunbathe and relax, ending the day at Biergarten Encinitas.
The next day Let’s go wild and cross the bridge to Coronado for a Jet Sky ride, to see the most beautiful view of the City of San Diego, the best postcard. Snack at the Parfait Paris bakery, a bike ride and lunch with an ocean view goes well at Village Pizzeria Bayside. To end the day, watch the sunset and have drinks at the Altitude Sky Lounge. To show that we haven’t even seen 10% of the city, we can see Petco Park, Balboa Park and the entire southern district, with the countless delicious traditional Mexican foods that are spread throughout the state of California.
The next day we have to take advantage of Ocean Beach and have lunch at Hodad’s, walk on the beach and go shopping at Westfield UTC and have dinner at In-N-Out Burger, that’s right, you can never have too much of a good burger, and a must-try is the best in the world.
Last day, let’s go chill and visit the Old Town and learn about the history and art around it, the culture and the vibe, it’s an explosion of joy. Barra Barra restaurant is delicious, and a few steps away you can enjoy the traditional delicacies at Fiesta de Reyes, and snack on “Churros” or “Temales”. To rest, we take Trolley Tours to Balboa Park and Seaport Village and have a snack of Ben & Jerry’s ice cream. For the last day, a stroll around Liberty Station, Moniker Coffee Co. is a good option, and a combo of empanadas at Paraná Empanadas. You can get lost in this park and a mix of cultures that intersect in San Diego.
Without a doubt, an itinerary that will make you miss me and the city so much.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I still can’t believe that I live in a city that I chose and the life that I chose, I recognize that I am here for three reasons:
-My family is an example of perseverance for coming from a country and a poor family, I believe that everyone around me has always had victories and this has encouraged me to pursue my dreams even if it took me to the other side of the world, in addition to supporting me and never setting limits on me. My dream is bring then to visit me to see the dream became a truth.

-My career in architecture and design, which made it possible to get a green card and come to the United States. In particular, the office I have as a Takeda family, where I worked for more than a decade, I am very grateful for the opportunity to motivate me to compete in architecture and transform me from an intern into a project creation coordinator. From the beginning, I learned to draw perspectives by hand, projects for houses, buildings, condominiums and even neighborhoods.

– All the Masters I have had in martial arts have made me a disciplined person, on and off the mat we are a family, we learn discipline, respect and companionship. Now as a teacher and black belt I intend to maintain the same energy and tradition that I fell in love with. Without a doubt, all the teams in this sport are to be congratulated, because the partnership we created with Brazilian Jiu Jitsu I have seen around the world during these 15 years of experience competing and training.

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Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@CarolinaBonfada