Adam Ortego, like many students, found a major that was a better fit than the one he started out with.
杏吧专区淚 began studying engineering here and then was introduced to some architecture majors in my first year. Through conversation with them and experiencing their studio environment and the type of projects they were doing, I decided that architecture might be a better fit for me,杏吧专区 he said.
杏吧专区淲hen I to architecture, I could have changed schools, but when I began my architecture education here, I chose to stay because of the quality of design education and the emphasis that our program puts on the creative process as an interdisciplinary medium for creating and discovering solutions in our world and our society.
杏吧专区淎nd every day, I wake up and I choose to go to school and study at this wonderful university, in this amazing architecture program,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淎nd every year I find new reasons to fall in love with what I'm being offered and the content that I'm learning.杏吧专区
Staying Busy with Projects
Outside of his classes, Adam has had other opportunities to assist with research and special projects.
He completed an internship with the city of Lafayette杏吧专区檚 cultural development initiative. He杏吧专区檚 helped , an assistant professor of art history, gather resources for her recently published book. He杏吧专区檚 worked on interdisciplinary research projects with professors in the School of Architecture and Design for . He was part of a construction project for the .
Now, he is spending his final semester as an intern at Remson Haley Herpin Architects as part of the School of Architecture and Design杏吧专区檚 Internship Exchange Program (IEXX).
杏吧专区淭he IEXX opportunity is a really fantastic opportunity that the School of Architecture and Design offers their students,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淚 spent my final fall semester designing a comprehensive project that ties together all of the aspects of a project that I杏吧专区檓 really familiar with: initial conceptualization, schematic design, and creating architectural drawings.
杏吧专区淭his semester I杏吧专区檓 actually in an architecture firm, working a paid internship, and testing my skills in an environment that has committed to contributing to my educational experience,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淓very day I meet with licensed architects, gain experience in industry-standard software, and get to participate in the practice of architecture.
杏吧专区淭he School of Architecture and Design at UL Lafayette is really committed to exposing us to as much as they can about the study and practice of architecture in our short time as students,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淐ulminating my undergraduate education in architectural practice is so cool because I get to step out of the studio environment and see things happening in the real world. It has helped me realize I have a lot to contribute because of how I杏吧专区檝e learned and the skills I杏吧专区檝e built here.杏吧专区
Thinking About the Future
While the most obvious career choice for an architecture major is to become an architect, Adam is pushing the boundaries and exploring all the options in front of him.
杏吧专区淭he skills that I've built and gained in my time here can really be translated into so many different fields of work,杏吧专区 he explained. 杏吧专区淭here's always contributions to be made by designers who are trained critical thinkers and communicators. And I really think that, as much as I love architecture, my calling in this life with the skills that I've learned can go beyond designing buildings.
杏吧专区淚'm really interested in the way culture, community, and urbanism have developed in Louisiana,杏吧专区 he said. 杏吧专区淎fter graduate school, I hope to pursue research and practice that contributes to creating a more equitable and beautiful Louisiana.杏吧专区
