There is something about architecture that has always excited me. The concept of dreaming up an idea and following through until it is real and tangible is both exhilarating and admittedly challenging. The sense of completion while you are looking at your finished project is unparalleled by any other profession. As architects, we have the pleasure and responsibility to take someone's simple idea and turn it into a space where they will want to build their lives.
If you'll take a moment to flip through my online portfolio, I think you'll notice that I have a refreshing outlook on design. I am a firm believer that each aspect of a space can be individually specialized to create an ideal atmosphere for the functions that will be carried out there. I think it is equally important for those spaces to be flexible for later use. This combination creates a tricky design path that when given ample creativity and the right set of minds always leads to the most interesting, functional and beautiful places. Throughout my time at the University of Kansas I experienced a variety of studios and professors. I found quickly through each course that one of my greatest strengths in a creative setting is molding two very different ideas into a sophisticated compromise. During my time at KU I earned the opportunity to fulfill a semester long internship in Paris, France for a small family firm called Buffi Associés where I had the pleasure of working on the Olympic Soccer Stadium in Lyon. Outside of school I have held a broad range of titles from demolition worker to gymnastics instructor to IT support. Each of these positions has opened my eyes to a new facet of the professional world. While some of these jobs were less glamorous than others, they all opened doors to understanding new types of people, many different industries, and how each of these industries would have benefited from a more suitable working environment. In my mind, the best part about architecture is that each new project requires us to dive head first into an entirely new set of information in order to deliver the optimum solution. My most recent position has been my greatest adventure yet. I took a temporary job with a start-up medical company that needed assistance developing their work-flow processes as well as developing their management software in order to reflect these processes. I have learned so much about how (and how not) to work with and manage people and ideas at this job that I will be sorry to leave, but it is time for my next big adventure and this time I am hoping to find a more permanent home in the architecture field.
