From Katrina to cancer, Jonathan Hall’s path led to Tulane

Jonathan Hall knows a thing or two about building - and rebuilding.

As a graduate student earning two master's degrees from the Tulane University School of Architecture and Built Environment, Hall has applied his studies through such programs as UrbanBuild, helping construct housing in some of New Orleans' most challenged neighborhoods.

"It's not just about designing a building," said Hall, who is graduating with a Master of Architecture and a Master of Sustainable Real Estate Development. "There's a greater purpose in what we do."

For Hall, who has commuted to Tulane from Biloxi, Mississippi, since 2023, architecture is not just about materials, drawings and construction; it is about shaping spaces that reflect resilience, purpose and renewal. It became a way to rebuild his life after a series of challenges while creating environments that help others move forward.

Those challenges began in 2005 when his family, then living in Pass Christian, Mississippi, lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. He was 18 and planning to study architecture. Instead, he joined the Army National Guard to ease the financial burden on his parents.

He served 16 years in the military, including a nine-month deployment in Iraq, where as a mechanic he kept vehicles operational for infantry units.

But his greatest challenge was yet to come. While training in El Paso, Texas, for a second deployment, he was diagnosed with cancer.

"I felt a pain in my side and thought it was kidney stones," Hall said. "They ran blood tests, and found I had an extremely elevated white blood cell count."

The diagnosis was chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a treatable blood cancer that required a stem cell transplant. His brother, a partial match who donated his stem cells, ultimately helped put the disease in remission.

"I saw it as a sign that I needed to move on from the military and do something else," said Hall, who is married with two children. "I had a newborn. I needed to be home. It made me realize how precious life is and that I needed to pursue my dreams."

He earned a a Bachelor of Science in Architecture Engineering Technology from the University of Southern Mississippi in May 2023 and began graduate studies at Tulane a month later.

"Right off the bat, I loved everything about the school, from the academics to the research to how rooted it is in the community," he said. "For me, architecture is about helping to design and build community."

Hall is especially interested in creating sustainable, affordable housing and communities that are resilient to environmental and social pressures over time.

Through Tulane's UrbanBuild program, he is helping construct a duplex in the Lower Ninth Ward for a nonprofit that supports individuals transitioning out of homelessness. He also worked with classmates to design and build a pavilion on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard in Central City that will serve as an outdoor classroom for food education and urban agriculture.

Hall's impact extends beyond the construction site and classroom. He has served as president of Tulane's chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students and worked as a teaching assistant to gain insight into his long-term goal of become a professor of practice.

Known for supporting others, Hall makes a point to check in with students and offer encouragement, something he says was modeled by his professors. His leadership and service were recognized with the 2026 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Student Leadership Award. "I don't do things for recognition," Hall said. "I just want to be positive and make a positive impact."

As he looks ahead, he hopes to remain in New Orleans, work for an architecture firm, become licensed and eventually move into teaching.

"This was my second chance," he said. "I didn't want to let it pass me by."