Alexandra Biriukova

Imagine a superhero who could design cool buildings AND help people feel better. That was Alexandra Biriukova! She was born a long, long time ago, in 1895. She was a nurse, which means she helped sick people get well. But she was also an architect, which means she designed buildings! She was one of the very first women in her town to do this important job.

Alexandra had two amazing jobs. First, she was a nurse, taking care of people who needed help. Then, she became an architect. She was so good at designing that she was the second woman EVER in all of Canada to become a registered architect! That's like being the second person to win a super-special gold medal for building.

One of the coolest things Alexandra designed was a house for an artist named Lawren Harris. This house was special because it was designed by a woman architect, which was very rare back then. It shows that girls can be amazing builders and designers, just like boys!

Alexandra Biriukova was a pioneer, which means she was one of the first to do something. She was the first woman to join a special group called the Ontario Association of Architects. This meant she opened the door for many other women to become architects too. She proved that with hard work and smarts, anyone can achieve their dreams!