The first spark lighting my interest in pursuing the goal of becoming an architect happened early in my teen years. Working with my dad in construction and finishing the first job site with him brought me joy that never seemed to have an end. One project that inspired me the most was for a family that was adding small ADU's in their property intended for their family members that were barely getting started here in America.

At first, I did not think much of it until my dad started saying how things could have been better if his three brothers did not live under one roof together. They were all sleeping in the living room and sharing everything a single-family house had to offer, rather than having the ability to live in smaller additional units for their privacy. However, for my family at the time, this was too much to ask for and impossible to get done because living here in America in their early stages was a hard struggle for them as immigrant workers who receive little income to make their own ADU.

After years went by and my family was now having a house of their own, we also helped family members in the same way. We converted our garage for one of my aunts starting here in America. Including blocking off a piece in our own house to provide shelter for other family members to stay at our home as a starting point.

My aspiration in architecture first started because of my joy and experience I got with my dad when finishing a project. I got more knowledge and grew a connection that I did not know a small project could do for a family. As of now, I still intend to develop residential homes as I once did as a young teen. I see myself creating residential dwellings that can convert as multiple units, from partition walls or panels that serve to divide space for other people's privacy and needs.

Although my goals as an architect have stayed the same as of now, building residential houses for people, architecture school has taught me to view architecture differently. Recently, architecture school has taught me to think about what your architecture can do in the future and how it can impact people—also, coming up with a solution that is appropriate to the problem that you set up for yourself or happen to face in architecture when designing. As a student in architecture and learning more about culture, I also see myself creating environments for the community that can be occupied by different people worldwide. As an architect in the next ten years, my path as what I want to professionalize in as an architect is still blurry; I am still exploring my options as I continue to learn more.

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