Academics

This summer I was surrounded by architecture and culture. In June, I visited Tulane University’s campus and architecture program. I got to learn about the culture of the architecture in the city. New Orleans’ architecture originated from French and Spanish architecture. It was truly amazing getting to talk to all the staff and gaining knowledge of the city that actually had correlation with my Odyssey project. I also got to shadow architects in Gensler’s firm in Austin, Texas. Ana Elena Kurzan is a young architect who was tasked to innovate and modernize public buildings in the UT campus while preserving the history. Working with her was extremely eye opening and educational. Her work is outstanding and she is only 29 years old. The Gensler team also gave me a presentation on the steps taken to be an architect. It was a huge help and I am truly grateful for the opportunity they gave me to learn. 

In July, I went to Oxford, England for a two week camp. The Camp was called Oxford Royale. The camp's concept was a less independent version of college. We got to live and go to classes in Queens College. I took the architecture and design course for the entirety of the camp. Our professor was very skilled and had a lot of cool projects for us to practice the steps that are needed to build and design a house. My favorite project was a design made for a violin maker who worked from home. We were tasked with making her house and work in the same building with easy access to both sides but also a distinct difference in the private and public spaces to ensure the owner's privacy. 

The month of August got off to a slow start. We used this month to set up and organize our projects in preparation for our final year. I have been working on finalizing my final product idea and rewriting my research question to fit that goal. With the help of Ms. Jaramillo, I have rewritten my research question in an innovative way that I feel can jumpstart my research. Although this month has been slow, I feel well prepared for the steps that need to be taken to keep me on track. September has been all about research. We have gotten past the introduction to Odyssey for the juniors and are now working on the research requirements. This month I have been working with Madeline Weisler on putting together a Voting Registration Awareness event for the seniors of Sandia Prep. The majority of our class of 2025 are eligible to vote this year. Although some of the seniors that I have talked to do not know the steps taken in preparation to vote or even the importance of voting. With Maddy, I want to ensure that our seniors are equipped for this upcoming election. Overall I am happy with my progress in Odyssey this month. 

This summer I went to live abroad in Spain. I had an amazing time learning and experiencing many things about their quality of life. This trip was important to me because it is my culture. Although I look the part, I have not had the pleasure of partaking in it. For most of my life, I have been "the Hispanic girl," but when I was there, I was the American girl. So, I decided to take the opportunity to embrace both the Hispanic and New Mexican-American parts of me. 

My project combines some of my great passions: photography and architecture. In Spain, I shot many pictures of their buildings. I also have a collection of photos from New Mexico. I hope to eventually make my own building. But for right now, I am planning. 

For the past three weeks of school, we have been preparing and researching for our projects. We are only in the beginning, but I can already see the progress of my project.

This month, we are starting to move into the next steps with our projects. I am starting to look for interviews and trying to land an internship with a local architecture firm. I have also been shooting more and more photos around Albuquerque. Thanks to Mr. Ausherman’s class, I had the opportunity to shoot in a new, inspiring place. All of the buildings showed both the New Mexico culture and modern functionality that I have been looking for. I also went to Old Town to take photos. I chose Old Town because it has some of the oldest buildings in New Mexico. This month, I have also made the decision to shoot my photos with a film camera only. After watching A Photographer's Journey by Pedro E. Guerrero, I came to the realization that my phone does not suffice for the pictures I am trying to capture. The quality of photos I produce on my phone is nowhere near the photos I shoot in film. 

I enjoy listening to my other classmates' findings and ideas, and I hope that I can build up a collection to show them. Although we are still in research, I think I am moving in the right direction with my project. 

Throughout the month of October, I have taken some big steps towards my goal. Although this month has gone by so fast, I have found the time to get an interview, shoot more photos, and even land my first job. I will be working with a local New Mexican Restaurant, called Cocina Azul, on remodeling their original location. The restaurant is trying to give a more welcoming and cultural ambiance. I have already met with Evelyn Barela (the owner) on all of the remodeling details and even formed a blueprint. I am still in the planning stages and have to come up with some new creative ideas, but overall, it's a huge step in the right direction.

This month, I also had to present my project to the school. At first, it didn’t seem like anyone really cared, but after, I had many teachers tell me they had connections and could help me. I also had a lot of the 8th graders approach me with questions about the program. Although they are young, they had a huge interest, and I hope I helped them with their questions.

Overall, this month has been successful, and I feel that my project is improving more and more each month.

With the semester coming to an end, I find my schedule filling up quickly. My project took a slight halt, and now it is crunch time. I have talked to the owner of Cocina Azul, and together, we decided to move forward with the remodel and have started to purchase decor. We still need to find and meet with a contractor, but everything else is in motion. Our goal is to start the remodel in December. We have considered the pause in the remodel due to the holidays and decided that it will be after. 

This month, I have made the decision to make changes to my project. While interviewing Mr. Touma, he told me about his projects and how he runs his class. "When building anything, you must consider who you are building it for. You have to collect data on them before you start any sort of design" (Mr.Touma). These words made me question my original project because I needed to consider who or what I was making this building for. The changes I made to my project are small but essential. During the second semester, I will practice these skills by designing a small house for myself. With Mr. Touma's help, I will even make a model. This is important and necessary to prepare for my big building project. Although this was a slow month for my project, overall, I am thrilled with the work I have done.

I have made immense progress throughout the semester and feel happy with my current state. I started by taking photos for research and slowly getting myself ready for my building design. As I started to do the mandatory research, I learned more about what I wanted to do with my project. After interviewing Mr. Touma, I realized what that was. I started to research more about design than photography. Although photography is a big part of my project, I want to focus on the process of designing and building. I have researched how to make blueprints, the history of architecture, and how to create architectural sketches through different sites. After this research, I even landed my first minor project with a New Mexican restaurant called Cocina Azul. Since then, my project has started moving forward.

This semester has been a trial and error for me. There have been a lot of rough patches throughout the process, and I have needed help with time management, including keeping focus during our times. My project felt more hands-on towards the beginning of the year, and with all of the mandatory research, I was very reluctant to work on research ideas and the annotated bibliography. Especially with my other school commitments, it felt insignificant. Soccer took much time out of me the first few months, leaving me with little motivation to move forward with my project. These problems made me rethink my project so that I loved it enough to have the motivation to move forward. I had to refocus and remember why I was willing to put two years and effort into a singular project. These were challenging obstacles to overcome, but I have been successful even with all of that.  

My research was extensive but very helpful. I read an article that listed ten architectural buildings that changed America. This helped me understand the evolution of architecture in New Mexico. Another beneficial source was my interview with Mr. Touma. Together, we came up with a plan to execute my project. We decided that I would pitch my building as a new Mexican next step in architecture. I will present a presentation to the architectural arts staff and get feedback on my project before I start my design. Another essential thing that Mr. Touma brought to my attention was the purpose of my building because it is essential to know these things before designing. Next semester, I will start on this presentation and use all that I have learned from my research to start my home design.

My most considerable interest this semester was the restaurant remodel. The Cocina Azul atmosphere was very homey, and it was nice to witness a community that loved each other so much. I felt very comfortable being there with them and learning under their wing. The story of the restaurant and its building structure was fascinating. The owner was straightforward with what she wanted to do with the building, and I am happy that I was picked for the job.

Overall, the whole process of the first semester went well. My project is on its way, and I am very excited to see what I can do. As the semester stops, the past few months have ultimately been advantageous.

This month is an Odyssey; I have been pretty busy. In English class, we have a project that is on researching icons from the years 1950-2000. My icon is on Frank Lloyd Wright. Although he did pass away in the 1950's, I am researching his impact and his architecture's impact on the world. Frank Lloyd Wright was a fantastic architect, and his buildings are still very influential in today's day and age. Because both of these projects are architecture-based, I will utilize both classes and use the two projects to help each other. For my English project, I will be building a scale model of one of Wright's builds. This will act as a practice in the design process and prepare me for my ultimate project. So far, I have researched him and am now working on finding what building to recreate. I have also started the design process with Mr. Touma and find it very useful. Hopefully, I will be more than prepared to build my final project by next year.

We also visited the UNM architecture library for Odyssey. It was a fantastic experience, and I found many books that I could utilize for my project. It was a short trip, so I plan to return soon. I have also secured an interview with Penny Dudley. She has an architecture firm in Albuquerque called Penny Design, LLC. She attended the University of Arizona for her bachelor's. I am excited to meet her and get her opinions and experiences in this field. This month has been very eventful, and I am excited for more to come.

The month of February went by very fast. I have had an excessive homework load and I have not given enough time to my Odyssey project. Although this month has felt like a roadblock in my project, I have managed to make a few accomplishments. I have secured the interview with Penny Dudley. Last month I reached out but did not hear back from her. I am very excited to talk to her. I am also currently working on a new interview opportunity with architect Alvin Jaramillo. He is a Latino/New Mexican architect that now works out of Arizona. Like me, the Jaramillo family has been in New Mexico for many generations. I do not know a lot about his work but I am excited to possibly learn.

Another interesting update for this month doesn't really have much to do with my project but has to do with my icon project. I have officially started my process on building a scale model. I learned that my friend Camilla’s icon, Frank Gehry, was the architect that made the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Fun fact, I have actually been there! I also shared with her that my icon Frank Lloyd Wright made the Guggenheim in New York. Together, we decided to collaborate on our projects in a way. We will compare our architects through our buildings, while still showing these architects' differences. I have finished my floor plan sketches and moved on to making them to scale. This is a big step for me because I get to practice this process and eventually start my own design after spring break.

These past two months in Odyssey have been a bit unproductive. I have had a lot of busy work from my other classes and felt that my project isn't my top priority. Last time I wrote a blog I was in the middle of my building process for my Icon project. I am proud to say that I have successfully completed the full model. I enjoyed building the model so much that I feel with the time I have left in my first year of Odyssey, I would like to not only design my own building, but make a model too. Despite being incredibly busy these two months, I have managed to complete an interview with Alvin Jaramillo. Mr. Jaramillo is an amazing architect and had a lot of helpful knowledge about architecture. I am currently working on getting the opportunity to interview local New Mexican architect Max Vasher. Mr. Vasher’s projects are truly impressive. I have been studying Frank Lloyd Wright for a long time and when I research Mr. Vasher’s architecture I can find many resemblances. Mr. Vasher utilizes the environment and builds with the flow of the land instead of interrupting it with a building, similar to Frank Lloyd Wright. One of his more recent projects is a circular home that utilizes our state's landscape and sun to light up the house and give an amazing view from any point of the house. If I land the interview I hope to learn more about how he uses these factors to inspire his buildings.

My project design process has been slow but I am moving forward with it. I have started the research on New Mexican buildings that I can use as a reference point and inspiration. With the time I have left in the month I hope to find a strong design and start making it on Sketch Up. My goal is to start the model next month. Although I am still having trouble with time management this month, I feel that my project is still on the right track.

This year in Odyssey has been a journey. I have been through every phase I told myself I would not go through. I started to be too ambitious when the first month came. I thought my project was going to figure itself out. I was quickly mistaken and started to get lost. When the next month came, I started to develop hatred for the process. I was still determining whether I wanted to stay in the class. All of the requirements were based on research, and in my head, my project had nothing to do with research. I struggled to accept that I needed research in my project for a while. With Ms. Jaramillo's guidance, I could find certain aspects of my project that basic research was required. I started to find out more about my topic, and my project changed. 

In the beginning, I took many photos. I would go around Albuquerque and take photos of the architecture I liked, which felt like New Mexico. I visited Old Town multiple times to take pictures. When I finished my photos, I would look back and find patterns in the buildings I liked. For example, I took multiple pictures of blue/teal doors. I do not know why I was drawn to the look of the blue door, but something about it drew me to multiple different buildings. Another example was tin roofing. I loved the use of tin to make the stucco buildings pop. It was even better when I found a building with a tin roof, stucco, and a blue roof. 

When the annotated bibliography was introduced, I needed to improve my productivity—the annotated bibliography required in-depth research. I had a tough time analyzing my sources and finding scholarly sources. I started to get bored with the project and put Odyssey in the back of my mind. I still worked on photos and the other deadlines, but it was only because I had to. I felt I was in a slump for most of the first semester. I did not know what direction to go with my project and often changed it. It was not until Evelyn Barela asked me to help her remodel her family restaurant, Cocina Azul. I started by interviewing Ms. Barela and asked her what she wanted in the remodel. Then, I went to the restaurant and asked the employees their opinions on what needed to change in the remodel. Once I had this information, I could start designing. I started with sketches and then moved on to an AI-generated blueprint. This program took the pictures that I provided and the new changes and turned them into a simple blueprint. I started to get excited once I started the process. There was a slight delay in the building, but eventually, it started again. My project is genuinely hands-on, and in some cases, research was not needed.  

This semester, we were still more focused on the research side. Although I did not have much success in research, the hands-on experience this semester saved my project. In January, we were introduced to a new project here at prep called the icon project in English. We were tasked with finding an icon in the United States from 1950 through 2000. I immediately knew I wanted to be an architect when I heard of this project. In Odyssey, I had been researching Frank Lloyd Wright and had a great interest in him. I wanted to utilize my time and research capabilities in Odyssey to help my English project. I started by pitching the idea to both my English and Odyssey teachers. As I expected, they were as excited as I was. However, they also had questions about how I would relate my Odyssey project to my English project. At the time, I could not give them an answer and instead went on with the process. I used Odyssey time to research Frank Lloyd Wright and used my English time to work on the physical aspect of the project. While researching him, I found that Frank Lloyd Wright's most famous building is his Guggenheim in New York City. I decided to make a scale model of his Guggenheim.

I had some setbacks with my building process, such as needing help figuring out where to start. Thanks to Mr. Touma and a classmate, I found my way. Speaking of my classmate, Camila was a massive help during my project. Her icon was Frank Gehry, another architect who designed one of the Guggenheim Museums. Together, we compared and contrasted the differences and similarities between the museums and architects. The model took me 30-plus hours to complete. At the end of it, my teachers asked me how I planned to utilize and bring both projects together. But I still had no answer for them, so I decided to drop the idea. Although, in the end, I did not bring the projects together, the icon project was a good experience for me to get a feel for the building process.

This month has gone by entirely too fast. With the end of the year, this month has been filled with catch-up and preparation for finals. I have been incredibly busy and stressed. If you were to ask me what I did during May, I would have told you nothing. However, the truth is that I have been working hard on my digital designs. I am using the application Sketchup to build my designs. I asked a peer to give me a list of demands and needs she would like in a house. I took those and designed a house for her. I enjoyed the process, and I designed a home that she loved. 

This summer, I will shadow an architect based in Austin, Texas. Kirstan Cessna is the architect I will be shadowing. She works for a company called Gensler, and they have worked on multiple projects in Austin. I met Kirsten in an elevator in my parent's apartment building. She is the head architect on this project and was there to oversee the progress of the top floors. My mother and I talked to her and told her about my Odyssey project. She loved the idea and offered me an opportunity to learn the basics of architecture. I am excited about this opportunity and want to utilize all they have to give. In addition to that, I will be going to the University of Oxford in England for a two-week architecture program. Again, I am excited about the opportunity to work hands-on with architecture this summer. 

Overall, This year's Odyssey has been a real journey. Although it had its ups and downs, I came out of this year with a substantial project, and I am so excited to see where next year takes me.