Meet the RA: Braelyn
Hello everyone!
I had a fun first weekend in San Luis. On Saturday we went downtown to sketch and on Sunday we went to the beach! We’ve barely been here for a whole week, but it already feels like family. I’d like to share with you a little more about my RA, Braelyn. She attended the workshop when she was in high school and is going to be a fourth year architecture student this upcoming year, studying in Florence. (At Cal Poly, the majority of architecture students either go abroad or do an internship their fourth year.)
In high school, Braelyn was interested in lots of different subjects. Her parents are both builders and her mom suggested she look into architecture, but she wasn’t sure it would be a good fit for her. Finding Cal Poly’s Summer Career Workshopwas a perfectly spontaneous event for Braelyn. Although the workshop was full when she found it, she was able to stay at her grandparents’ house and attend as a commuter. She made lots of good friends and fell in love with studio, especially the ability to sit down and just focus on a project. Her favorite project was the string music project because it’s very immersive.
Although the workshop showed her interest in architecture, she wasn’t completely sure it was the right path for her. She applied to lots of design schools but felt that Cal Poly’s philosophy of hands-on building fit her personality the best. Cal Poly offers a couple minors in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design (architectural engineering, city & regional planning, construction management, sustainable environment, …) and many other minors in other colleges. Braelyn doesn’t have an official minor, but she works in the digital fabrication lab and is really interested in materials. She describes San Luis Obispo as a small town with friendly people and lots of things to do outdoors. It’s halfway between San Francisco and Los Angeles so it’s easy to get to big city events but you don’t feel overwhelmed by living in a huge city all the time.
She sees herself getting licensed or going to grad school after she graduates but she’d rather design components or materials than be an architect. Her favorite architectural firms are UN Studio and Olson Kundig because they both experiment a lot. She would advise future architectural students to not be afraid of making mistakes.
