Designing Spaces That Shape Our Community
By Michelle Vasquez | Photography by Suzanne Pack
Long before Cristina Ziegler-McCoig understood the power design could have to shape how people experience the world around them, she was practicing it.
Growing up in Del Rio, Texas, Ziegler was the child who constantly rearranged her bedroom and occasionally asked friends if she could rearrange theirs, too. At the time, she didn’t see it as a future profession. It was something she loved.
“I think all along I knew interior design was what I wanted to do,” Ziegler said. “It was always there, but I never listened to it.” That insight and intuition would eventually lead her to discover that finding her passion was anything but linear.
After moving to San Antonio in 2015 to attend UTSA, Ziegler explored several interests before finding her calling. She began in communications, transitioned to business marketing, then political science, and finally landed in interior design, which was inspired by her love of people, service, and community.
That connection began years earlier. As a shy teenager, Ziegler’s mother encouraged her to participate in pageants. While reluctant at first, she now credits the experience with helping her build confidence through public speaking, interviews, and volunteer work. “It really shaped me as a person,” Ziegler said.
Eventually, Ziegler realized the career she had been searching for combined two passions that had always been part of her life. “For me, it was design and community,” she said. “And when those two married together, that clicked for me.”
Today, Ziegler brings that perspective to her role as an associate at Gensler, a global architecture, design, and planning firm with 57 offices and more than 6,000 employees worldwide. Her qualifications include certifications from the National Council of Interior Design Qualifications, and she is a Registered Interior Designer.
Working across industries including aviation, healthcare, education, workplace, retail, and cultural spaces, Gensler is known for its research-driven approach to creating environments that better serve the people who use them. For Ziegler, being part of Gensler’s San Antonio office offers the best of both worlds, including the perspective of a global firm combined with the connection and impact of a local team.
While many people associate interior design with colors, furniture, or finishes, Ziegler sees it as something much deeper. Design is about the human experience. “Everybody feels things when they walk into an environment, even if they don’t realize it,” she said. Her work focuses primarily on workplace design, considering how people interact, collaborate, move through a building, and how the environment supports their daily lives.
Currently, Ziegler is part of the team working on the relocation of the National Association of Latino Community Asset Builders headquarters in San Antonio, a project reflecting her passion for creating meaningful spaces in the community she calls home.
“I’ve become so connected to it,” Ziegler said of San Antonio. “Where do I see San Antonio going? What do I want it to become? How can I add to that?”
She believes the city’s greatest strength is its ability to evolve while preserving the history and culture that make it unique.
Looking ahead, Ziegler is focused on continuing to create spaces that make a positive difference.
“I just try and always make sure that I’m happy with what I’m doing,” she said. “The goal is to make others happy with the spaces they’re in that I design.”
For others searching for their own path, Ziegler encourages them to trust themselves, seek mentors, and remember they belong in every opportunity they pursue.
“Be confident in all the rooms that you walk into,” she said.
The young girl who once learned how to find her confidence walking into rooms now spends her career designing rooms where others can feel inspired, connected, and at home.
