Today we’d like to introduce you to Cody Zanni.
Cody, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
An Upstate New York native, proud Clemson University alumna and now Midtown, Atlanta resident; I am a landscape architecture consultant by day, Atlanta Hawks Dancer by night, dance instructor and Sunday school teacher on the weekend, and full-time mentor, friend, sister, and daughter.
I grew up outside of Rochester, New York, in a snowy little town called Fairport. As an ambitious and bright-eyed high school student, I spent most of my time studying, dancing, playing soccer, hanging with friends and watching TLC’s home renovation show Trading Spaces. Dance, interior design and creativity became my happy place. I knew I wanted to go to college to study design and attend a university known for its school spirit to get the true college experience. Clemson University offered everything I was looking for: a landscape architecture program that was the perfect combination of design, creativity, and technicality; a semester abroad in Barcelona, Spain; a beautiful campus in between the lake and mountains; and school spirit that could not be surpassed. The time I spent earning my Bachelor of Landscape Architecture degree at Clemson not only provided me with an exceptional education but also taught me a tremendous amount about who I am and who I wanted to become. After graduating in 2014, I began my career in Atlanta as a landscape architect with Kimley-Horn, a multidisciplinary engineering, and design-based consulting firm.
Everyone yearns for purpose in life. Through great friendships, mentors and my time as a professional in Atlanta, I have been able to find just that. I have a heart for dance, community, children, family and my faith. Today, I can look back and say it took many trials and failures to get to where I am, but I am fortunate to be fulfilling my passions in many different aspects of my life.
If you know me, you know that dance is the biggest of these passions. I’ve been very involved in the Atlanta dance community since I moved here in 2014. I’ve had the opportunity to take classes, teach classes and perform on some of the biggest stages in the city. I am currently dancing for the Atlanta Hawks and teaching children ballet and hip hop at Legacy Dance Centre in Tucker. Nothing brings me to tears more than watching my students perform on stage after months of hard work in the dance studio. While my careers in landscape architecture and dance provide me with a great amount of purpose for the community, I also enjoy mentoring children. I mentor a 1st grader at a Title 1 Elementary School downtown and a senior at Cristo Rey Jesuit High School. After four years of lunch in the cafeteria and the occasional driving lesson, I will be proud to watch my mentee graduate from high school and send her off to college! I’m grateful for the opportunity to share my faith and join in fellowship with those around me.
My family is very important to me. While they are rather far away and scattered around the States in California, New York, and Ohio I value them more than anything–I earnestly hope to have a family of my own one day. Lastly, I must thank the Lord who has filled my heart with each of these passions and has given me the ability and talents to follow my dreams; it’s all for His glory!
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Of course, the road has not been smooth 100% of the time. There are always obstacles, but that’s all they are… nothing I couldn’t overcome by taking a different route or learning how to overcome that challenge. The best example I can use pertains to a time in my dance career. I auditioned for a professional dance team multiple times; I absolutely had my heart set on dancing for this team. I would always make it to the final step in the audition but never could quite make the cut. Honestly, it was a very disappointing and humiliating experience. However, this failure led me to audition for the Atlanta Hawks Dancers and I could not be happier. The Atlanta Hawks is a wonderful organization and being a part of this team has led to many great opportunities including dancing with Ciara at the Super Bowl Music Fest! I have an amazing coach and 19 incredibly gifted teammates who lift and encourage me daily to be a better woman and dancer. I am forever grateful for the obstacles in my life because they have led me to an even better place than I could have imagined.
Please tell us about your work.
In my landscape architecture career, I specialize in urban multifamily, office and commercial landscape design which includes streetscape, courtyard and ground level design. The development services field is fast-paced and ever-changing, new opportunities arise daily. I challenge myself to always say yes to new opportunities, so I can grow to be a better and more well-rounded professional. I believe my career niche will continue to evolve and refine over the next several years.
A proud moment in my career was on my 25th birthday, I visited my first built project that I managed and designed for an office/retail high-rise building in Buckhead. The most rewarding aspect of being a designer is creating safe and environmentally sensitive spaces that encourage human interaction and provide an outdoor space for the community to gather. I truly love being involved in the development of Atlanta—we live in a great city and it only continues to get better.
Being a landscape architecture consultant means that you must be creative, technical, and personable to produce quality work and maintain successful relationships with clients. My background and experiences have led me to be more creative and personable, but I continue to push myself technically. I believe that I can offer creativity, technicality, and personality; which sets me apart in a male-dominated industry.
What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
My advice for women who are starting their careers is: Don’t be afraid to fail! Your biggest accomplishments are behind your biggest failures. Dream big and don’t ever give up! You are never too old to follow your dreams. Bring your support system along with you and make sure you have plenty of people on your team, life is better with others and you can accomplish so much more!
Contact Info:
- Email: cody.zanni@kimley-horn.com
- Instagram: @dj_codyz
Image Credit:
Scott Cunningham, Charlie Saengerhausen
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