Prompt: What specific experiences (honors or not) in the past year have had the most impact on your personal and professional trajectory? Articulate specific personal and/or professional goals for the next year.

 

My sophomore year (while not entirely finished since I will remain on campus this summer) has been full of experiences that I could reflect upon – from hiking for the first time to taking architectural tours through Chicago, this past year has further opened my eyes to the world around me and the world that I will call home after my college journey. However, the experience that shaped me the most and had the most profound effect on my sophomore year would have to be my first co-op experience.

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The journey to this coop semester is just as thrilling as the coop itself. It was a roller coaster of emotions and thrills – completing a professional portfolio, prepping for job interviews, and juggling classes all at once was no easy feat. Despite the heavy strain this placed on all of us throughout the fall, I have no doubt I grew from it, and perhaps found a strength that I didn’t know I had: networking. For me, networking was very enjoyable. I had no problem talking to employers, and my interviews often turned into more of a free-flowing conversation. Coming from a large Italian family, I have always been able to talk and babble for hours – but this skill didn’t seem to have any other purpose beyond making conversation at the dinner table. But I soon found out that these conversation skills that I had were applicable in the professional world. Also, not only were they applicable but I enjoyed it. After speaking to my advisors and professors, it turns out that my communication skills weren’t only applicable in the hunt for an architectural position but applied once the job was acquired as well.

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Once on coop, the learning experiences are too numbered to count. From attending site visits to working on construction documents, there was no aspect of the architectural process that I did not get to experience, and for that, I am extremely grateful. Upon reflection, I found that that only did I learn applicable skills that I could use both in class and at future employers, but I learned what kind of architect I want to be and what kind of work I want to pursue in the future.

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The firm I worked at this past semester was full of wonderful people who taught me a lot about architecture and structure. And while I probably would have done the same work at any other firm, after working at this employer I have come to realize that the type of architecture I was working on isn't what I want to pursue. Coming into this coop, I already had a clear vision of the type of buildings I wanted to design and the type of company I wanted to work for. Working at this company, which was far from my original plan, taught me that my instincts for what I wanted to do were correct. And not to say that I didn't enjoy my experience, I did, I just know moving forward more concretely what I want to pursue and what I believe to be my purpose in this field. Knowing this gives me great excitement joy to see what the rest of my career at Cincinnati and beyond holds.