Our Students

New student welcome, class of 2028

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:04:06 +0000

New student welcome, class of 2028 Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/26/2024 - 13:04

This past weekend, ENVD hosted its annual new student orientation. Students participated in presentations and activities led by undergraduate education student success staff, ENVD faculty and first-year experience (FYE) student mentors. Welcome, class of 2028! We’re so happy you’re here.

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AJ Newlin, Architecture

Anonymous — Wed, 03 May 2023 18:30:00 +0000

AJ Newlin, Architecture Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 05/03/2023 - 12:30

Where are you from?

I am from Fort Collins, Colorado, which is about an hour away from Boulder.

What inspired your decision to come to Environmental Design at CU Boulder?

I was very interested in the interdisciplinary nature of ENVD even though I already knew I wanted to go into architecture. I was able to visit Boulder in the spring of my senior year, and even during the pandemic I knew I was in the right place.

Did you know right away that you wanted to major in architecture? How/when did you know?

I only really discovered my love for architecture during my last few years of high school, but looking back, it has always been there. The first realization was when I took a construction class in high school and built a house. It was the first time I had truly understood a process start-to-finish. Seeing the house go from nothing to something tangible gave me a huge sense of accomplishment. I was hooked.

Do you have a favorite project that you're currently working on/have worked on in the past?

I think the 8-week architecture studio’s Athenaeum project has been my favorite so far. I often revisit and edit it even though the course ended. I learned a lot about balancing concept with practicality and it was my first real attempt at using design software in my work.

What has the program taught you about yourself as you’ve taken on your educational career?

I learned how to adapt to new challenges and deadlines that I have never faced in the past. ENVD has a lot of resources that are there to help me.

What would you like to do upon graduating from Environmental Design?

I know that there are a lot of possibilities, so I am trying to keep my options open right now. I do know that I want to go to grad school after I graduate and I want to work somewhere that allows me to travel a lot while my career is starting out.

What tips or advice would you give to future design students?

It’s very easy to compare yourself and your work to others, especially in a program like design, where our work is so subjective. Be confident in who you are and what you bring to the table, because others see a lot of value in your opinions and your work even if it doesn’t look like theirs. How boring would design be if everything looked the same?

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Ainsley Watkins

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 17:23:52 +0000

Ainsley Watkins Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/19/2023 - 11:23

What year are you?
Senior

Where are you from?
Saint Louis, Missouri

What inspired your decision to come to Environmental Design at CU Boulder?
My woodworking education throughout high school led me to seek out a program in which my desire to make things with my hands would be met and challenged.

Did you know right away that you wanted to major in product design? How/when did you know?
I felt pretty certain that I was drawn to product design within my first few weeks at ENVD but I didn’t know for sure until I had to make the choice to specialize in EPOD my sophomore year. I knew it was the right choice for me when it came down to what sort of work I wanted to be doing during my time in the program. Hands-on problem solving and material studies appealed to me and solidified that choice.

What has the program taught you about yourself as you’ve taken on your educational career?
ENVD has taught me so much about the ways I work best. Pen to paper sketching and tangible, hands-on prototyping hugely outweigh digital means of illustration and development. I have also been asked to do a lot of reflection around my identity and values as a designer which translates so heavily into the lifelong practice of being a human.

What would you like to do upon graduating from Environmental Design?
Smile, share some hugs and kisses, maybe move back to that mountain in New Mexico.

What tips or advice would you give to future design students?
You are not your best ideas nor are you your worst ones, your identity lies in your values and passions and how you choose to answer them

For Ainsley Watkins the hands-on problem solving and material studies was appealing and helped solidify her choice in product design.

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Andrew Song

Anonymous — Wed, 19 Apr 2023 17:17:43 +0000

Andrew Song Anonymous (not verified) Wed, 04/19/2023 - 11:17

What year are you?
Junior

Where are you from?  
Aurora, Colorado

What inspired your decision to come to Environmental Design at CU Boulder?  
I have always loved creating. Whether it be art, music, design, etc the creative process has always been a part of my life. I love being in a creatively enriched environment and it is amazing to see how uniquely different all our creations are.

Did you know right away that you wanted to major in product design? How/when did you know?  
I had a hard time choosing which discipline I wanted to major in, but as I experienced more of the design process I figured out that I prefer working on fast paced and tangible projects. After making my first lamp in 1110 [fundamentals of product design], I felt empowered to create anything and that feeling fuels me to continue creating.

What has the program taught you about yourself as you’ve taken on your educational career? 
EPOD has shown me how capable I really am. Everyday I am creating new things that I didn’t think I could make. I am constantly pushing my boundaries, and the program has shown me just how quickly we can grow our skills and knowledge.

What would you like to do upon graduating from Environmental Design?  
I would like to gain more experience and knowledge by working in industries that I am passionate about, eventually I would love to use those experiences in order to create my own business that is a combination of my interests and passions.

What tips or advice would you give to future design students?  
CREATE MORE. The more you do the less you wait.

Andrew Song has always loved creating and loves being in a creatively enriched environment.

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Nate Kingdom

Anonymous — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 21:54:12 +0000

Nate Kingdom Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/17/2023 - 15:54

Where are you from?  
Denver, Colorado

What inspired your decision to come to Environmental Design at CU Boulder? 
When I came to college, I knew I wanted to be creative and constructive. At first, I was set on being a sculptor, but then I realized that I wanted to create for people.

Did you know right away that you wanted to major in product design? How/when did you know? 
I wasn’t sure exactly what I wanted to do. I was back and forth between architecture and product design. But, after taking the 1110 studio, I knew EPOD was right for me.

What has the program taught you about yourself as you’ve taken on your educational career?
This program has taught me how to present who I am in professional environments and how to defend myself and my work. It has also helped show me my place in the world.

What would you like to do upon graduating from Environmental Design?
When I graduate from ENVD I hope to leave the United States and start designing for the world. Products that can help everyone and be used all over the world.

What tips or advice would you give to future design students?
Always keep working hard, have a positive mind set, and keep your eyes open. It's a beautiful program and so much to learn from it.

Nate Kingdom, a product design major from Denver, hopes to design products that can help everyone and be used all over the world.

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Liana Bradley

Anonymous — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 21:31:22 +0000

Liana Bradley Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 04/17/2023 - 15:31

Where are you from?
Durham, North Carolina

What inspired your decision to come to Environmental Design at CU Boulder?
I was originally an environmental studies major in 2020. After my first semester I found myself bored with the subject. I found the most joy in my 3D art class and I was constantly making art in my dorm. Coming into college I suspected I would change majors and after my first semester I discovered ENVD. I could design and fabricate as a major instead of on the side in my dorm.

Did you know right away that you wanted to major in product design? How/when did you know?
After my initial intro studios I knew that I wanted to specialize in product design. I was immediately drawn to the human interaction between people and their cherished possessions. I love seeing the relationship of people to products and what makes them loved or hated. I felt that this deeply personal connection to design was the strongest in EPOD and that’s why I picked it.

What has the program taught you about yourself as you’ve taken on your educational career?
ENVD has taught me that finding a major that I am passionate about was more important than sticking with the one I was in because it was easier to stay than transfer. ENVD has made me understand my values as a person and discover how I can use my skills to contribute to a better world.

What would you like to do upon graduating from Environmental Design?
I am unsure of what I would like to do after I graduate. I think that ENVD has given me great opportunities to look at a wide range of options for opportunities I can take after graduation.

What tips or advice would you give to future design students?
I would say that you should use the full extent of the ENVD resources from the get go. Places like the DMC photo booth, and the CINC are really cool and exciting resources that are great to practice hands-on work. I wish I had practiced taking photos for a portfolio or getting familiar with the DMC resources sooner.

Meet Liana Bradley, a product design major from Durham, North Carolina. Bradley loves seeing the relationship of people to products and what makes them loved or hated.

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ENVD represented in Sko Together Challenge

Anonymous — Mon, 24 Aug 2020 17:53:26 +0000

ENVD represented in Sko Together Challenge Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/24/2020 - 11:53

Last week the Sko Together Challenge wrapped up. The 10-week, student-led and student-driven challenge hosted 52 undergraduate students to recreate campus life while having to physically distance in 2020.

Congratulations to ENVD student Molly Obermeier and her friends Robin Tutchton and Lily-Page Hartwell for their second-place-winning submission More than Ramen.

The top three placing teams have been awarded $1,500 to seed implementation of their ideas and mentorship to develop their campus connection concepts throughout fall 2020.

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ENVD student contributes to Fort Collins city murals

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 18:50:16 +0000

ENVD student contributes to Fort Collins city murals Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/10/2020 - 12:50

The City of Fort Collins contracts a handful of local artists each year to paint murals on electrical boxes as an effort to mitigate graffiti and to add public art around the city. This year, ENVD student Caleb Schmitz was selected for his mural titled "Moments."

"Moments" is a mural dedicated to solitude and the fragility of man against the fortitude and persistence of the natural world. Schmitz's mural is a window into one of those special moments of being alone with nature. His hope is for everyone to be able to relate to the images and be reminded of the value of solitude, contemplation and taking a moment to be utterly aware of the entire universe that exists outside one's self and the daily chatter of one's own life.

Schmitz began painting his mural in early August.

The City of Fort Collins contracts a handful of local artists each year to paint murals on electrical boxes as an effort to mitigate graffiti and to add public art around the city.

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ENVD students win IAAC Design for Living Competition Awards

Anonymous — Mon, 10 Aug 2020 18:22:42 +0000

ENVD students win IAAC Design for Living Competition Awards Anonymous (not verified) Mon, 08/10/2020 - 12:22

This summer, Assistant Clinical Professor Marianne Holbert and her architecture capstone summer course (ARCH 4100) focused on the international design competition Design For Living. The global contest to rethink our habitat from the body to the city was the 8th Advanced Architecture contest hosted by the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC).

Among 193 proposals from 80 countries, ENVD student Allison Aber was selected as a finalist for her project PRO Pods, (Plan, React, Occupy). PRO Pods is a system of pods that can be used as medical clinics or emergency shelters. PRO utilizes the existing structures of monuments to react. Its versatile form is implemented to reallocate the monuments’ function to assist vulnerable populations in the wake of urbanization and increasing frequency of pandemics. PRO Pods, optimizes the city fabric making non-essential structures essential to the human habitat.

ENVD student Hanaan Llewellyn was selected by the IAAC Academic Committee for a scholarship to attend the Master in Advanced Architecture program at the Institute of Advanced Architecture at Catalonia in Barcelona, Spain. Her Design for Living competition submission was ReVeil: Addressing Rights of Minority Cultures and Religious Communities in American Highrise apartments.

Student projects by Allison Aber, Cole Brockoff, Hanaan Llewellyn, Jozef Gach, Katie Kumro, Kylie Bromley, Michael Corvino, Nicholas Esquibel and Taylor Evans were selected to be included in a publication by ACTAR. The selected projects will also go on show in a major exhibition due to open in December 2020.

This summer, Assistant Clinical Professor Marianne Holbert and her architecture capstone summer course (ARCH 4100) focused on the international design competition Design For Living.

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ENVD student interns with UN

Anonymous — Tue, 14 Apr 2020 16:44:23 +0000

ENVD student interns with UN Anonymous (not verified) Tue, 04/14/2020 - 10:44

Allison Aber

For the past six months, Yidan Li, a senior environmental design student, has been working as an Innovation Intern for the United Nations in Nairobi, Kenya. Li is the first ENVD student in over a decade to receive an internship with the U.N. After applying for the highly competitive position last April, she received notice that her application made it past the first evaluation. In August she got an interview and was accepted into the six-month internship.

The ENVD Professional Development Services Center met with Li to learn more about the process she underwent, her expectations and experience while interning in Kenya.

What is your position, and what are some responsibilities you are tasked with for your work?
My job is titled Innovation Intern. The position is under the Urban Lab of Planning, Finance and Economy Section of UN-Habitat. As the very first Innovation Intern of the lab, I’m working on both urban planning projects and the innovative applications and solutions in urban planning. For the past five months, I’ve done quite a wide range of work, including two urban planning projects. One is a city structural plan for Hawassa City in Ethiopia. Another is the scenario planning for a sustainable data center community in two Swedish towns–this is a project with Microsoft.

A big part of my job is working for one of UN-Habitat’s five flagship programs: People-centered Smart City. This project focuses on how frontier technology could benefit the urban planning process as well as inclusive city development. Under the big umbrella of Smart City, I am responsible for research and analysis of Smart City technology and further applications (digital mobility, blockchain, IoT, drones for city planning, potential partnerships and products we can collaborate with and utilize). Overall, I am exposed to many different stages of project development, which is very beneficial and gives me a chance to explore what I can do aside from designing and planning.

What is Kenya like?
It’s… very different. It is a whole different world from Colorado. I had a tough time during my first week here, but once I adapted I found that it is a magical place with perfect weather and the “Famous Big Five,” lions, rhinos, cape buffalos, elephants and crocodiles. Most people are very kind, warm and outgoing. The culture is also fascinating, which is not surprising.

The wealth gap is huge, very huge. I live in Gigiri, a neighborhood in Nairobi where most embassies and the U.N. are located. It is safe and quiet and everyone drives and there is a big, westernized shopping mall. But, Nairobi also has Kibera, the largest informal settlement in Africa. It sits right next to a fancy golf course, surrounded by a middle-class real estate cluster. Living in and coming to understand Nairobi and Kenya is like another internship. While I’m working in a well-built U.N. compound and working for “a better urban life,” being aware of Nairobi's own development gives some other perspectives on thinking about the job in the U.N.

What was the application process like?
Everything starts on Inspira, the career website of the U.N. It’s like applying for any job online. Previous working experience is not necessary. Anyone in and beyond the last year of their undergraduate degree can apply, and they do prefer graduate and postgraduate students. The cover letter is the most crucial part, as it is the only way recruiters gain an impression of the candidates. A design portfolio is also required at this stage, but they asked me to send it again in the second round. It was a very long and exhausting waiting process. I applied in April 2019 and heard back from them in July indicating I was shortlisted because of my computer skills and portfolio. They got back to me in late July to set up the interview in August. My contract went from early October 2019 to April 2020. Usually, the intern contract ranges from three to six months, and my section highly preferred interns to do six months.

What has been your most memorable experience so far in Kenya?
There have been many memorable experiences actually. Apart from work, I would say the Halloween party last October. It was my first month, and almost a hundred people from the U.N. attended the party, and people went really crazy. We are all from different countries, literally everywhere, and overall, the international community here offers me a lot of memories. We can start a casual “global seminar” anytime. It’s fascinating that the world is so diverse. There are so many excellent and talented people here. I’ve been learning so much from them.

What has made this trip worthwhile for you?
Too many things. First of all, this is my first time in Africa, and I realize how much I misunderstood about the continent before. I work in a very professional and global organization and learn a lot of work ethics: time organization and interpersonal communication, which might even be more important than job tasks. As I worked on various projects and engaged in different stages, I also explored other aspects of my potential.

How has this experience changed you and your perception of the design/planning world?
The most important thing has been that design is a vast topic. In a real-world design project, design means the whole process, from the idea being conceptualized to the project finally being implemented. It involves ideas, budget, manpower, regulation and law, business models, client perception, sustainability, and so much more. Design studios and lectures in school are a good start to build the theoretical foundations, but the practices, especially the design practices of the U.N., require the understanding of a bigger picture and collaboration with other specialists.

What skills have you gained from this experience that will stick with you?
Interpersonal communication, strategic thinking, work organization, planning and networking.

What were your expectations for this experience? Were your expectations before the trip met or was it different from what you thought?
Before it started, I was clearly expecting two things: the platform and the network. It turned out to be beyond my expectations. The U.N. is definitely an expectational platform to get a global vision, which could apply to and benefit any profession. It has surely enhanced my working skills. What has been beyond my expectations is that interns are treated just like everyone else, and we have a great deal of freedom and flexibility to develop ideas and advocate projects. This is also a good way to show our value and give back to the U.N. I actually went a lot further than my original position and now I’m working inter-departmentally with two teams. It’s a perfect place to witness your own potential.

How has your experience been working for the United Nations?
Overall, very satisfying. I have learned a lot and met many outstanding people and most importantly got a clearer sense of what I could do.

What are your plans after coming back and after graduation?
I’ll be back at ENVD in fall 2020 to graduate. I might come back to the U.N. working as a consultant for some time or go to grad school.

Environmental Design senior Yidan Li has been working as an Innovation Intern for the United Nations in Nairobi, Kenya for the past six months. The ENVD Professional Development Services Center interviewed Li to learn more about her experience.

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