¬As a high-achiever, even in high school, I had expectations that Texas Tech University and the College of Architecture would be rigorous. Those challenges were, at times, more than I had ever anticipated. Still, having gone through my Bachelor’s degree and professional Master’s of Architecture degree, there are not many alternatives I would have chosen instead. I like designing things that are interesting, yet practical, and most importantly things that will leave a positive impact on people economically, emotionally, or socially. Designing, in addition to successfully meeting deadlines and being genuinely challenged, is exciting. School and an internship has taught me a basic foundation for success: process, problem solving, design, professionalism, technicality in details and presentation, and teamwork.
Throughout school, I was always aware of how much more I had to learn but never more than in my third year of undergraduate study at Texas Tech University. I had a mentor who was regarded as one of the best students in the graduate program. By just listening or participating in his discussions and observing the work he produced, I realized that there was no way I could be at his skill level or professionally ready by the time I graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree. My mentor inspired me to push myself into the next level of education and beyond. After the soon-to-be completion of my seven month internship, it is humbling to know that no matter how far my education takes me, there is always more to learn in building design, graphic design, masterplanning, and urban design.
The summer before graduating with my Bachelor’s Degree, I did Texas Tech’s study abroad program in Montreal, Quebec, Canada with the College of Architecture. We were thrown into the city and learned the way people use it. Through discussions and historical site visits, we learned what Montreal had been like and what certain ideas or events affected the layout and habits of the city. Living in apartments next to people who had resided there for years, we got a chance to take an anthropological approach and ask questions regarding how they live and feel about their home and what makes it such. This feedback and research ultimately affected the urban infill project that we designed.
Montreal left me with a sense of excitement, rejuvenation, and passion for cities. As a person unafraid of unknown places, I hope to learn from and dedicate myself to a firm that can physically and mentally take me places, challenge me for more, and work with other professionals that want the same.
