Darnell Parker II Is Using Architecture to Transform Communities from the Inside Out

Before Darnell Parker II enrolled in Pepperdine’s Graziadio Business School Part-Time MBA program, he was already building a life of purpose, one carefully measured line at a time.

As an undergraduate student in the architecture program at Virginia Tech, Darnell spent hours in design studios dreaming up structures that could serve as community anchors: libraries, museums, and community centers. In his role as the leader of on-campus organization NOMAS, the National Organization of Minorities Architects, Parker leaned into his leadership roles in his efforts to further impact his more immediate community.

“Architecture was a way to be creative but also practical,” he says. “Civic design was my passion because it connected directly to people’s lives.”

After graduation, Parker took his passion global as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Republic of Moldova, where he witnessed the impact of poor infrastructure on economic conditions in developing nations. In partnership with the mayor of Izbiște, a village in Moldova’s Criuleni district, Parker contributed to strategic community development that included creating the documentation necessary to secure capital to improve the region’s school systems, paint, plumbing, and paving.

“People living in remote parts of the world don't have the proper infrastructure, and it's simply because they don't have the skills to develop documentation to pursue grants,” Parker says. “Through the Peace Corps, we could take the basic skills we had developed in programs like Microsoft Word and Excel to bring the community together and develop solutions for their long-term success.”

While pursuing his master’s degree in urban regional planning at Virginia Tech, Parker concurrently served as an AmeriCorps VISTA volunteer at Community Housing Partners in Christiansburg, Virginia, a nonprofit organization that works to create healthy, sustainable, and affordable homes and communities. There he assisted their design studio that focused on achieving sustainable design for affordable housing.

Today at the Graziadio Business School, Parker is pursuing an MBA in order to understand the business behind running a successful architecture business—a pursuit that aligns his faith, vision, and skills to create lasting change.

“I want my faith to be the driving factor of my creativity and how I conduct business and interact with people throughout my work,” Parker says. “I envision having a career as a licensed practicing architect with my own business that is Christ focused.”

Parker also serves on the Graziadio Student Advisory Board as a Part-Time MBA program student representative that empowers fellow students to speak up and lead boldly.

“If you want the full value of your education, you have to engage with the community,” he says. “I didn’t come here just to get a degree. I came to grow as a leader.”

Parker’s leadership also extends beyond campus. He recently launched Global Youth Camp AEP, Inc., a nonprofit that introduces young people worldwide to architecture, engineering, and planning with a goal of sparking local ownership and equipping the next generation to reimagine their cities, neighborhoods, and futures.

Through his coursework in finance and accounting at Pepperdine, Parker has gained the tools to lead a sustainable organization. He has also deepened his spiritual walk. His future includes launching a civic architecture firm focused on public spaces that restore beauty, functionality, and belonging in underserved communities.

“God gave me the vision, but Pepperdine is giving me the training to fulfill it,” he says. “Now I’m walking in both faith and skill.”