Hello everyone!

In a couple of days I will be embarking on a road trip from Chicago to Philadelphia. At the end of the month I will begin my summer prep sessions before starting the M.Arch I program at PennDesign this fall. 

Since I have to fulfill my Calculus and Physics prerequisites before beginning in the fall I will taking those courses at Penn over the summer. Over the course of the next week I will be reviewing preCalculus before I begin online Calculus I on the 28th of this month. It will be an interesting weekend indeed considering that I will be moving the weekend of the 31st, obtaining the keys to my Philly studio on the 2nd, and have Calc class that same night! Certainly hitting the ground running! I will be posting any resources I find useful with my prerequisite courses since I'm sure others will be in the same situation. 

But, to introduce myself, I'll share some of my background and what I hope to accomplish/explore in graduate school. 

I was born in Puerto Rico and lived in the island until I was thirteen. I spent most of my childhood with my grandfather, a retired fireman, exploring derelict train tracks and historic firehouses. In particular, I was mesmerized by the striking red structure of the Parque de Bombas firehouse in Ponce, Puerto Rico. I'm pretty sure it was those visits that planted in me a curiosity about architecture. 

When I was 13 my parents divorced and my mother decided to move to Virginia where we had family residing at the time. Growing up in the states I became discouraged of studying architecture because I didn't consider I was strong enough in mathematics. (Later I realized how silly it was to put architecture on hold for that reason). Nevertheless, I studied arts and business at Virginia Tech for two years before deciding to focus on Interiors. Upon that decision, I transferred to VCU in Richmond, VA to study Interior Design. The program at VCU was taught mostly by architects and my performance/professor feedback throughout my undergraduate career became the encouragement I needed to finally pursue architecture. 

Upon graduation, I moved to Chicago to work for an interiors focused architecture firm while working on my graduate school applications. While in Chicago I had the opportunity to do volunteer work for the Chicago Architecture Foundation during their annual Architecture Open House. It was a great experience considering that I spent a major part of my undergraduate career volunteering and doing community design. 

As far as my goals for graduate school, I am looking forward to diving into the program and learning as much as possible. In undergrad I had to work almost 30 hours while being a full time student to pay for my education and wasn't able to dedicate 100% of time to school. At PennDesign, I've been blessed with a full scholarship so I plan on making the most out of my time in school. I'm particularly interested in the role that nature and landscape play in architecture and exploring their relationships further. While school progresses, I plan on updating the evolution and refinement of my interests but as of now I want to enter with as much of a blank canvas as possible. 

Thanks for reading. Talk to you soon!