It's All All Over.

I'm finally here, writing the culminating blog reflection to end my senior project. I used critical thinking when writing my research paper, communication and collaboration when working with my mentor, and creativity when doing projects on my own. Because of my Capstone experience, I think I gained a lot. Personally, I came to love my college major and career choice even more; I can't even express how excited I am to attempt to make a living out of architecture. Socially, I learned how to interact with others, especially with adults, especially with adults in a typical office workplace, which I imagine will be helpful for me in the future. Intellectually, I just gained so much knowledge about architecture in general: movements, history, and the process. The challenges I encountered mostly came in the form of a race against time. Neither me nor my mentor were available very often, so we found it pretty difficult to work around both our busy schedules to get my project done. But in the end, our goals were accomplished. Although my time management wasn't the best, I finished what I needed to get done while having a great time doing it, and I'm just happy for that.

Abstract (Art)

New Urbanism is an architectural movement aimed toward the use of sustainable resources and the healthy pedestrian life of the city. Taking inspiration from urban areas such as Paris, London, and San Francisco, architects involved in the movement strive to create better, more useful, more beautiful places to live. Though a bit idealistic, New Urbanism could one day have significant effects on the future: the reduction of pollution and global warming, the restoration of "walkable" cities, and many more. To find this information, I researched online and through books to gather documents about my topic. I also shadowed an architect at the local airport to learn more about the industry and what architects actually do to achieve the desired results of movements such as New Urbanism. After doing my research, I wrote a paper about the pros and cons of New Urbanism. From my research and volunteer work with an architect, Melissa Stephenson, I found that New Urbanism would be a useful movement to society and would help the world conquer many environmental and societal problems.

Day 7: Our Final Meeting

Well since we're kind of related, I suppose this is just our final meeting for now. At least in a serious manner. Well, on May 6, I met with my Ninang Melissa at the airport for the last time for capstone. She filled out my mentor evaluation and I thanked her for helping me out in the past few months, even though we didn't meet very often. Although I didn't really do any actual "volunteer" work, I felt I learned a lot about what I want to do with my future and hopefully my experience will someday help me and many others once I make a career out of Architecture. Cal Poly here I come!
Hours spent: 1

Day 6: More Work

On April 20, I did some more sketching for a few hours. I learned that my aunt and uncle were moving from their giant house in Pacifica, but they purchased an even larger property in Sacramento. My uncle is an amazing painter and has always been a role model of mine, and I thought it was cool how he's designing their new 3 acre home. Someday, when I'm rich and retired, I want to build my own house and have it be like the castle of my dreams! So that's what I did that day. I did some more drawings of "my future house" hoping that one day, my dreams will become reality.
Hours spent: 3

Day 5: The Office, Part 2

On March 15, I went back to visit the office. I did the same thing I did last time, mostly just wandering around and talking to other engineers and architects and planners and helping them with anything they needed. I also watched my mentor work while she did blueprints on her computer. It was interesting to see how architects work; I learned that it's not just artistic creativity, it's also scientific knowledge. That's a bit unfortunate because I'm not very good at physics. I guess I'll have to learn to love it!
Hours spent: 5

Day 4: Doing Something

On March 2, I spent some time gathering my resources for my paper, while also doing some sketches for my mentor. I went to the library and borrowed two books, and I searched for information online. I also did some sketches of building designs at home. It was pretty time consuming and made me more nervous for the future. But maybe someday I'll get to design my own house!
Hours spent: 4

Day 3: The Office

On February 15, I met up with my mentor at the airport again. I spent the whole day at the office, just kind of helping people out. I met more of my dad's and godmother's friends, who include other architects and engineers. I learned how they work together to get projects done and I saw what it was like to work in an office environment. It's not really my thing; it's a bit too quiet, but I guess I'll get used to it if this is what I'll be doing in ten years.
Hours spent: 7

Day 2: Thinking Ahead

On January 18, I went to the airport again. I met my Ninang Melissa in her office and she talked to me more about her experiences when she first became an architect. At first, she started off at a private firm. It's harder to get find work, but clients do pay more. After a few years she decided to work for the city of San Francisco at SFO. That's where she met my dad and all my other godparents and family friends. She recommended that I try to same thing once I become a professional: try working privately for a while and see how it goes, and if it doesn't work out, I could always try the airport. Overall, it was an interesting and helpful conversation.
Hours spent: 3

Day 1: Introductions

On January 4, I met my mentor, Melissa Stephenson. Actually, I already knew her because she's a close friend of my dad and also my own godmother. She works at the San Francisco International Airport as an architect for the city. I asked her to be my mentor for capstone because someday, I'd also like to become an architect and will be studying at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo's College of Architecture and Environmental Design for the next five years. So I decided that senior project would be a perfect opportunity to get a head start on my future. On that day, I went to the airport with my dad and met up with her (I'm not sure how I should refer to her here: Mrs. Stephenson? I call her Ninang Melissa...) in her office. She kind of just explained to me the basics of her job and gave me some advice on my career choice. I really learned a lot about architecture and it actually made me a bit nervous about my future.
Hours spent: 2