Allyssa Corpuz
Degree: BArch, Minors in Interior Architecture and Art
Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2025
2022-2023 Scholarship
Baird Family Scholarship
I Am Originally From Reno, NV
WHY I CAME TO THE UO AND HOW I CHOSE MY MAJOR
I chose the University of Oregon because as soon as I took a tour of the campus I fell in love with it and all the people made me feel so welcomed. My favorite part about being in the College of Design is being able to feel like I’m a part of a family because of all the time we spend with our cohort in studios and classes. Architecture is definitely a lot of work but I’ve met some of my best friends who share the same passion as me.
I was originally a pre-med major but after my first term of college I quickly realized that it was not for me so I started to research other majors and wanted to pick something that I knew I would fully enjoy. I have always been a creative individual since I was younger and loved making all forms of art so I combined that with my love for interior design and decided I would try architecture and I turned out to love it.
UNIQUE QUALITIES I BRING TO MY STUDIES
A unique life experience that I bring to my study is that I was actually homeless in high school which was another reason for me choosing architecture as a major. Since having to go through that at a young age I was able to see the world in from a different point of view and how anti-homeless architecture really affects the poor. I have taken this and made sure to include architectural aspects and implemented them into my studio designs that will help the homeless instead of neglecting them. I am hoping to take this into my profession and design sustainable low income housing and housing for the homeless.
MY INFLUENTIAL PROFESSORS
An influential professor I’ve had was Pamanee Chaiwatt. She was my studio professor for ARCH 383 and my GE for ARCH 440. She was very influential for me because of her way of thinking and how she implemented that into design. She tested our creativity by doing fast charette activities to be able to really explore our own ideas rather than only looking at precedent studies online. She also was very supportive in our design ideas and was open to letting us have a lot of freedom with our studio project while still guiding us towards successful design.
MY EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
I am involved with a few student organizations—UO ASHRAE (American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers), Center for Multicultural Academic Excellence (CMAE), and UO Kultura Pilipinas. Those are important to me because it allows me to meet new people who are similar to me and in a majority white school, UO Kultura Pilipinas and CMAE allow me to be around other people of color, which makes me feel more welcomed. A community activity I am involved in is Eugene’s Saturday Market where I sell my own handmade and vintage clothing and accessories. This is a huge event that has been around for years in Eugene and I was able to meet a lot of creative people and small businesses that have helped me to grow my own small business.
MY GREATEST LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT UO
The greatest learning experience I’ve had so far at UO is overall just being a part of the UO Architecture program. This program is very rigorous and time consuming which means a lot of late nights in the studio and school in general. Though it has tested my mental and physical health, I have met amazing people who share the same passion as me and we are all a small family due to all the hours we spend together. It’s also been a great learning experience because even though I have only spent two years in the program, I have already learned so much and it has expanded my knowledge of architecture and design so much. I am also always having to test my creativity for classes and studio projects. At the end of each term for our studio final reviews it is very rewarding to see all my hard work from the term and everyone else’s as well.
AFTER GRADUATION
My greatest hope after graduation is to be able to work for a firm or open up my own firm and become a licensed architect. I am ultimately hoping to be able to help the homeless and low income by creating sustainable, low cost housing. I will use my college of design education throughout my internships and career after college and implement everything I’ve learned into my future designs and architectural career.
YOUR GIFT
This scholarship is important to me because I am planning on applying it towards my plan of studying abroad in Vicenza in the Spring. As a full time student who also has to work on top of school to pay for my own rent and bills, I really thought that my dream of studying abroad would just remain a dream but with the help of this scholarship and others, I am able to make it a reality. Due to not getting any help from parents or anyone, I would not be able to even go to college without the help of financial aid and scholarships. It’s helping me achieve my goal of studying abroad, as well as continuing my education as a first generation, BIPOC student.
Thank you tremendously for your generosity and desire to help students afford college. Your generosity is helping me achieve my goals, and is having a huge impact on my life!