Sammy Brusky

Degree: MArch, with Specialty in Technology & Sustainability

Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2023

Prior Degree
BS in Architectural Studies Honors College Degree, Summa cum laude, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

2022-2023 Scholarship
Anthony Wong Scholarship for Research in Sustainable Design

I Am Originally From Green Bay, WI

WHY I CAME TO THE UO AND HOW I CHOSE MY MAJOR
What I like most about the College of Design at University of Oregon is the professors. I have had such a wonderful experience with the teaching staff at University of Oregon, and have found that they not only help me open new doors of curiosity, but they also support me in all of my endeavors no matter what they are. I have found incredible support, kindness, and compassion both within my degree path, and in my day-to-day life. I feel I can be open and honest with them and ask any questions, no matter how silly it seems. They are engaged, excited, and so willing to share their knowledge in the field. I also feel that they have brought in many guest speakers who have become contacts for me within firms, and they have the same passions and areas of research that I am interested in. I have also found an incredible community of students that helped me. If it weren’t for the support of my fellow peers, I am not sure I would have made it through my degree as successfully as I have at the current time. I chose the University of Oregon because of the renowned sustainability focus within the program. I was not at all disappointed when I got here, and have accomplished many new goals within the school while pursuing my degree, such as the certification in passive houseing, and research into other cultures and appropriate technologies.

I chose my major in an unlikely way. My dad had offhandedly suggested that I look into architecture when I was building a diorama for a language arts class in high school. Based on his suggestion, I looked into local programming and found a summer camp through the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and was able to complete the program for a week in the summer. After completing the program, I knew that this was the major for me. I was not only able to experience the school side of architecture, but also the professional side, and I was able to ask both students and professionals as many questions as I had.

UNIQUE QUALITIES I BRING TO MY STUDIES
I think I have many unique experiences, especially as it relates to travel. I’ve been very fortunate to travel all over the world and experience Architecture and all of its forms. I bring this perspective as well as the rural American perspective. Growing up in a city that was so close to many farms and rural communities, I feel I have an understanding of the day-to-day life of many middle Americans that make up the majority of our populous. The combination of these experiences has led me to be a more understanding designer, who is attuned to the local climate, culture, and belief systems. I feel that I also bring a significant amount of professional experience to the University of Oregon. Right off the bat, I was offered a position as a graduate employee for the detailing class called building enclosures. In this course students get a unique experience being introduced to building detailing, which is quite relevant to professional practice. This experience has allowed me to pass on the knowledge of building detailing to many students, including my own graduate cohort. I have also had the pleasure of working with students in the professional context class due to my experience working in firms from a young age. I was lucky enough to ibegin summer internships in my freshman year of undergrad, and these professional experiences have served me greatly in my graduate career. I also believe that my experience being a woman has brought a interesting and more complete perspective to the field of architecture. A previously male dominated field, Architecture is now showing a massive fluctuation with many more women entering the field. I am proud and humbled to be one of the women entering at this transformative time. Especially in the professional context and architectural context classes, I feel like I have been able to share my experiences and voice, which will help shape the future of this field.

MY INFLUENTIAL PROFESSORS
I have had many incredible professors at UO, that have really made a difference in my education and my future career goals, but the one professor I feel stands out is professor Alison Kwok. Professor Kwok has pushed me to be a better architect, designer, person, and woman of STEM. One of the major reasons I came to this university was because of the conversations I had with this Prof. Kwok. Her passive house class has changed my outlook on the field of architecture and has changed the trajectory of my career path because she showed me how passionate I could be about building, science and the details that go into designing a truly sustainable building. I have felt supported not only academically, but personally by Alison Kwok, and know many other peers who feel the same. It is something special to have a strong, female professor in a field that was so previously male-dominated, but it’s some thing else entirely to have a professor who can change your outlook on life and the trajectory of your career. I really cannot stress enough how much of an impact professor Kwok has made on my life. I am absolutely honored and humbled to have gotten to work with her in many capacities, and to have taken as many of her classes as possible. While the program would still be good without her, I truly believe she is a major reason this program is great.

MY GREATEST LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT UO
The most incredible experience I have had at UO was definitely the study abroad I did in Tanzania in the summer of 2022. I was lucky enough to travel with several of my peers and department head, Professor Michael Zaretsky, where we learned about appropriate technologies, and got to have a first-hand experience working with the citizens of Tanzania. This was an experience that is hard to put into words. It was eye-opening, life-changing, and completely soul-touching. To this day, I remain friends with people we met on that trip, and I hope to return to Africa as soon as possible to continue my work there. It was incredible to have an opportunity to travel somewhere other than Europe, while in architecture school. While there is much to learn from the European countries, I often find that education is centered around the Eurocentric model, and often we don’t get perspectives, other than the canonical information associated with western architecture. It was such a beautiful experience to be able to engage with both Architecture and culture so different from my own.

AFTER GRADUATION
I am very excited to start the next chapter of my architectural career, but at this time, I’m not sure where I’m headed. All I know is that I am deeply committed to doing better and furthering the field of architecture so that it remains relevant in light of the pressing environmental, economic and social issues being faced worldwide. I hope to make waves in the field of architecture and see myself working at a firm that is progressive and politely aggressive. If I cannot find such a firm, I will just have to start my own. No matter what it takes, I am committed to changing the way we practice architecture and furthering the field in any way that I can.

YOUR GIFT
This scholarship allowed me to travel to the conference in Chicago. This scholarship enabled me to chase my dreams and envision a future for myself beyond the realm of academia. It is hard to put into words just how important this opportunity was for me, and I will be forever grateful to all those involved in making it possible. I hope to continue to speak at these conferences for years to come, and if I do, I can foresee myself crediting, both, Alison Kwok, and the individuals responsible for my scholarship in those speeches. The scholarship renewed my belief that somehow, someway, life will unfold in the way that it is supposed to, and for the renewal in faith, I will be forever grateful.

Thank you a million times for the opportunities the scholarship has afforded me. Your contribution makes a daily difference for students like me. I hope that some day I will be able to contribute to the success of students who come after me. I think you should be immensely proud of yourself and your predecessors for being able to give so generously to me and other students.