August 23, 2021
In 2001, I began my education at Vernor Elementary in Detroit, knowing that I wanted to become an artist when I grew up. I would draw countless square boxes with a triangle on top, which I thought of like a house. My appreciation of architecture only increased as the years went by. The power in “creating” intrigued me because you could see the evolvement of original ideas into something tangible. Architecture is the epitome of that, so it’s no surprise that I was so drawn to that.
Photo provided by Michigan Architecture Prep
For high school, I went to Renaissance High School in Detroit. There, I continued taking art classes and exploring architecture. During my junior year, I had the opportunity to be a pilot student for a semester-long architectural prep program, Michigan Architecture Prep (ArcPrep), with the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. Every day at 11 a.m., my cohort went to Downtown Detroit and spent time learning the fundamental skills of an architect. This included drafting and editing in software like AutoCAD, making digital and physical models of our designs, and presenting design concepts at critiques. After I graduated from ArcPrep, I knew I wanted to pursue a college education in architecture and design.
That led to me attending the University of Detroit Mercy School of Architecture and Community Development, where I began my dual-degree program to graduate in five years with both my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in architecture.
I was a first-generation student, under-represented minority, only child, and worked three to four part-time jobs. These were some of the obstacles in my path to obtaining a degree, but my continued desire to become an architect kept me focused and dedicated to overcoming each challenge.
Photo of Korzell in Volterra, Italy
During college, another educational and life experience I gained insight from was my 2019 Detroit-Volterra Study Abroad International Program. There, I spent three months gaining an in-depth international perspective that taught me that the classroom goes beyond four walls. My experience abroad was invaluable to my architecture career, allowing me to gain new perspectives and inspiration from regional architecture, cultural experiences, history, and non-architectural artwork.
From my first thought about becoming an artist in elementary school to now, my educational and informal experiences have greatly influenced who I have become as a young professional. I have shifted and evolved as a designer, and architecture has continued to be my passion. I am now working as an architectural model maker at Zoyes Creative, a creative studio in Detroit and Ferndale. I can only imagine what is next for me as I grow in the field of architecture.
And looking back at the overall path I took to get to where I am now, I realize how my field of choice is the perfect comparison to the life of students and young professionals. Architecture is a problem-solving occupation as each design goes through a course of critical thinking. It’s also an ever-changing and truly never-finished product. All of that is just like students and young professionals, as we are constantly evolving and going through stages of critical thinking to figure out what we want to do and who we are.
Written by Korzell Coe
