Theressa has always been drawn to light, texture, color, and how they shape our perception of space.

She is currently part of the team at Pierce Lighting Studio in New York City, working remotely from the Bay Area, California. Her experience spans high-end residential, cultural, and commercial projects, guided by the belief that good design lives at the intersection of science and art.

She earned her MFA in Architectural Lighting Design from Parsons School of Design in New York, where she served as a teaching assistant and tutor for Lighting Studio 1 and was actively involved in the campus lighting community. Her thesis, Color Perception and Preferences of Skin Fidelity, was recognized with the Parsons Thesis Prize for Lighting Design Application.

Theressa’s professional path has included roles at Susan Brady Lighting Design, Office for Visual Interaction (OVI), and Pierce Lighting Studio. She also spent time in the manufacturing side of the industry as a regional sales manager, gaining valuable insight into lighting systems from specification to production.

Before her transition to lighting, she studied Interdisciplinary Art Management and Communication at Ateneo de Manila University and completed a BS in Interior Design from the Philippine School of Interior Design. In the Philippines, she worked with Empire Designs and took on her own projects—always designing with a sensitivity to flow, function, and the personality of the people who would inhabit each space.

A lifelong creative, Theressa began painting at age eight and continues to explore visual storytelling through photography. When she’s not working, you’ll likely find her experimenting in the kitchen or daydreaming about her next travel destination.