Graduate Spotlight: Lucy Almirudis
We recently caught up with Lucy Almirudis (@lucialmirudis), a graduate of Boston University’s Certificate Program in Wine Studies and a member of the 2022 “Urban Grape Wine Studies Award for Students of Color” cohort. Learn more about her story below.
I was born and raised in Sonora, Mexico where I studied architecture and worked as an architect for a couple of years. Seeking a life change, I decided to spend the summer of 2014 in Boston. That’s when I met my husband—and it turned into the longest summer of my life. I lived in Boston for a decade and during that time I worked in the restaurant industry, building a career in fine dining and event planning. That’s when I fell in love with wine; realizing that wine made every special occasion even more memorable and that people are willing to invest a lot in a good bottle.
I found out about “The Urban Grape Wine Studies Award for Students of Color” through my best friend and decided to give it a shot to build a career in the wine world.
- At the Urban Grape store to learn about retail
- With MS Walker to learn about importing and distribution
- At Row 34 to learn about the restaurant industry
- At Jackson Family Wines to learn about viticulture, sustainable farming, wine making, branding, marketing, production, direct to consumer, sales and more
Going through the program has been one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences I’ve been through. Because I was working in the restaurant industry and handling wine so closely every day at work; it meant having more very useful knowledge while going through what sounded like a very dynamic experience. I would’ve never imagined my life would end up taking such a drastic turn. I’ve met so many amazing people, I’ve learned so much about the wine industry and—the best part—got an opportunity to combine both of my careers: wine and architecture.
My last internship at Jackson Family Wines in California, where I spent time with their Real Estate Department, was particularly formative. It felt truly full circle seeing everything I had been studying and reading about during class in person. I finally got to see the grapes in person, taste them (the Chening Blanc grape is incredibly delicious), witness the wine being made and visit wineries I had only heard of. It was really special!
At the beginning of 2024, I got a job offer that moved me, my husband and our cats to California. I am currently working as an Assistant Project Manager as part of the Jackson Family Wines design team. While interviewing to be part of the Urban Grape Wine Studies Award someone said to me “Would you like to go back to work as an architect? The wine industry touches almost every other industry, your job could be designing wineries and tasting rooms” and I thought to myself “Does a position like that even exist?”
A year and a half later here I am, working with a team that focuses precisely on that, designing wine tasting rooms and guest houses. I would’ve never imagined that through a wine program I would go back to architecture, but I absolutely love it!
I couldn’t be more thankful for having the opportunity to be a part of this program and for my husband’s support through all of it. Thank you Urban Grape and Boston University!
To learn more about “The Urban Grape Wine Studies Award for Students of Color” and how to apply, please visit this resource.