Meet Our Member

The IESNYC spotlights a member each month whose volunteerism, perspective or personal story helps advance our goals, piques our curiosity, and makes the IESNYC become a more vibrant and diverse lighting community. We value their expertise and thank them for volunteering their time and energy for the betterment of the section and NYC Lighting Community. #the_iesnycmom

November 2026

Soumya Undavalli
Lighting Associate, Light Abilities 

Q: How did you first get started in the lighting industry?
It started out in architecture school, when I came across Tadao Ando's Church of the Light. Seeing a slit on the wall turn a bare concrete box into a powerful space – it stuck with me. From then on, I found myself playing with light in every space I worked on. It became even clearer when I began lighting my own freelance projects. Photographing the interiors I had designed, I kept noticing that light changed everything. Be it daylight moving through a room or a fun pendant creating a focal point, the same space felt entirely different.

Eventually I wanted to learn to layer light deliberately, rather than just relying on intuition, so I enrolled in a master's program in lighting design. There, I found a small, close-knit industry and I haven't wanted to leave.

Q: How did you first get involved in the IESNYC?
It started during my master's program at NYSID. Shaun Fillion (RAB Lighting), our program director, would forward us invites to parties and events hosted by DLFNY and the IESNYC Student Mixers. At first, my friends and I went purely to network and meet other students in the industry. But the people were so friendly and welcoming, we kept coming back.

Our first major event was LEDucation, where we entered the IESNYC Student Lighting Competition. I met lighting designers from top firms like Fisher Marantz Stone who clearly loved lighting design, and their enthusiasm was contagious. I was really looking forward to what lay ahead. On the Expo floor, manufacturers treated us as designers, even though we were students. They walked us through some of the most innovative fixtures that went straight to our studio projects.

By the time I graduated, IESNYC events were part of my calendar, and joining as a professional member felt like the obvious next step.

Q: How do you see your role as a member of the IESNYC?
After graduating and starting work, I kept coming back; and I wanted to volunteer, not just attend. I went to IESNYC NextGen Committee meetings when I could. In those first years of working, I couldn't give the committee the time it deserved.

Later I reconnected with Shaun and told him I wanted to get involved again, and he suggested I start with the Student Lighting Competition, which needed volunteers. I jumped in, starting with the graphics campaign for the 25th SLC program this year. Once the campaign wrapped up and registrations rolled in, the real work began on-site. My favorite part of competition day was helping students set up their projects. I enjoyed working behind the scenes to resolve last-minute hiccups right before the doors opened ensuring that their projects had the stage they deserved.

I remember what it meant to walk into LEDucation as a student and be treated like a designer. I’d like to do the same for the students coming up now. 

Q: From the perspective of someone new to IESNYC, what do you consider the organization’s best assets?
For a someone new, IESNYC is a world full of opportunities. When I was starting out in India, there was very little awareness of lighting design as a profession, and even fewer people practicing it as a specialty. Here, there is a whole world that gathers in one room, and everyone is approachable no matter where you are in your career. It is not just a professional organization you join. It shows you the entire field at once and lets you find your place in it.

Second, is one-on-one support. The IESNYC Guiding Lights Circle pairs emerging professionals with experienced members as mentors. You get to sit down with someone who has been through it and have the honest conversations: how to grow in your role, how to navigate the workplace, and what your next move might be.

You make friends here, people who understand you and look out for you. The IESNYC opens doors, and then it makes sure you do not walk through them alone.