Irena Orlowski lays the foundation for success
Irena K. Orlowski
Architectural Science ’79
Senior Project Manager (retired), Scotiabank Real Estate
Irena K. Orlowski is a groundbreaker. The retired senior project manager has, in 22 countries, overseen design and construction projects, some valued in the hundreds of millions of dollars, including Toronto’s Commerce Court and One Front Street West — the historic building next door to Union Station.
Irena was one of only three females and 147 males in the university’s first Bachelor of Architectural Science degree program (1971). Besides having to constantly prove herself in a male-dominated field, Irena was newly wed to a fellow TMU student and gave birth to their first child near the end of her second year of studies.
“We lived from grants, student loans and summer jobs. There was one other woman who was in my year and her family owned a bakery. Once a week, she would bring us a loaf of rye bread. That allowed me to make sandwiches, because we could not afford to buy lunches.”
For job interviews, Irena even resorted to using the hostess uniform she wore when she worked at Ontario Place during high school.
“I know what it’s like not to have money. And to scrimp and to think: do we have enough to buy drawing paper and other course material?”
Those struggles for money and remembering the help she received from TMU are why Irena supports students through the Irena K. Orlowski Scholarship, which provides financial support to undergraduate students, and the Irena K. Orlowski Travel Award, which offers a fourth-year student with educational exchange opportunities. The students must demonstrate not only academic achievement but also a commitment to positively impacting their communities.
She proudly recalls receiving a thank you note from a scholarship recipient. “He wrote that he was working four jobs to keep himself in school when he received my scholarship. Now he could eliminate one of those four jobs.”
Grateful for her success, Irena is keen to see future generations also pay it forward. “I love my profession and what TMU gave me,” she said. “I am investing in students who are interested in giving back eventually with their knowledge and skills in architecture, and to make this world a better world.”
Invest in the future like Irena. Consider giving today.
