Adam Ortego plans to make a difference with his architecture major

Written byAshley McClure-French

鈥淭he School of Architecture and Design at UL Lafayette is really committed to exposing us to as much as they can about the study and practice of architecture in our short time as students.鈥

Adam Ortego is an architecture major at the 青青草视频.
Adam Ortego
Major
Architectural Studies
Hometown
Lafayette, La.

Where I'm From

I鈥檓 from Lafayette where I鈥檝e been able to watch and be inspired by the changes to my hometown.

Where I Am

I am gaining a new perspective of the place I鈥檝e lived my whole life through architecture.

Where I'm Going

I am thinking about grad school in order to use my architecture experience to shape urban policy and development.

Adam Ortego, like many students, found a major that was a better fit than the one he started out with.

鈥淚 began studying engineering here and then was introduced to some architecture majors in my first year. Through conversation with them and experiencing their studio environment and the type of projects they were doing, I decided that architecture might be a better fit for me,鈥 he said. 

 鈥淲hen I to architecture, I could have changed schools, but when I began my architecture education here, I chose to stay because of the quality of design education and the emphasis that our program puts on the creative process as an interdisciplinary medium for creating and discovering solutions in our world and our society.

鈥淎nd every day, I wake up and I choose to go to school and study at this wonderful university, in this amazing architecture program,鈥 he said. 鈥淎nd every year I find new reasons to fall in love with what I'm being offered and the content that I'm learning.鈥

Architecture student Adam Ortego drafting for a class at the 青青草视频.

Staying Busy with Projects

Outside of his classes, Adam has had other opportunities to assist with research and special projects.

He completed an internship with the city of Lafayette鈥檚 cultural development initiative. He鈥檚 helped , an assistant professor of art history, gather resources for her recently published book. He鈥檚 worked on interdisciplinary research projects with professors in the School of Architecture and Design for . He was part of a construction project for the . 

Now, he is spending his final semester as an intern at Remson Haley Herpin Architects as part of the School of Architecture and Design鈥檚 Internship Exchange Program (IEXX).

鈥淭he IEXX opportunity is a really fantastic opportunity that the School of Architecture and Design offers their students,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 spent my final fall semester designing a comprehensive project that ties together all of the aspects of a project that I鈥檓 really familiar with: initial conceptualization, schematic design, and creating architectural drawings.

Adam Ortego sits with his comprehensive project that he made for his architecture major at UL Lafayette.

鈥淭his semester I鈥檓 actually in an architecture firm, working a paid internship, and testing my skills in an environment that has committed to contributing to my educational experience,鈥 he said. 鈥淓very day I meet with licensed architects, gain experience in industry-standard software, and get to participate in the practice of architecture.

鈥淭he School of Architecture and Design at UL Lafayette is really committed to exposing us to as much as they can about the study and practice of architecture in our short time as students,鈥 he said. 鈥淐ulminating my undergraduate education in architectural practice is so cool because I get to step out of the studio environment and see things happening in the real world. It has helped me realize I have a lot to contribute because of how I鈥檝e learned and the skills I鈥檝e built here.鈥

Thinking About the Future

While the most obvious career choice for an architecture major is to become an architect, Adam is pushing the boundaries and exploring all the options in front of him.

鈥淭he skills that I've built and gained in my time here can really be translated into so many different fields of work,鈥 he explained. 鈥淭here's always contributions to be made by designers who are trained critical thinkers and communicators. And I really think that, as much as I love architecture, my calling in this life with the skills that I've learned can go beyond designing buildings.

鈥淚'm really interested in the way culture, community, and urbanism have developed in Louisiana,鈥 he said. 鈥淎fter graduate school, I hope to pursue research and practice that contributes to creating a more equitable and beautiful Louisiana.鈥 

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