Caitlyn Tino

This is a photo of me and my studio partner in spring 2023 during our final critique presentation, showing a partial view of what we submitted to the architecture competition (model and complete drawings are not visible). I am on the right.

Degree: Master of Architecture

Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2025

Prior Degree
BA in Psychology; BA in Christian Ministry, Lindsey Wilson College, Columbia, KY

2023 Scholarship
Yost Grube Hall Architecture Scholarship

I Am Originally From Louisville, KY

WHY I CAME TO THE UO AND HOW I CHOSE MY MAJOR
I am now local to UO, as I moved to Oregon in January of 2020. I love the collaborative atmosphere in the College of Design, and the professional relationships fostered between professors and students.

I worked for an architecture firm in the 8 months before going to school and found a passion for it after making a career change in my early twenties.

UNIQUE QUALITIES I BRING TO MY STUDIES
I am from the southeast US which offers its own worldview, and I entered grad school at 26 years old after spending several years in real estate.

MY INFLUENTIAL PROFESSORS
One of my most influential professors has been Mary Polites, visiting Assistant Professor of Architecture. I took her studio in spring 2023 and she walked us through a Buildner Architecture Competition, which greatly prepared us in the experience required to design and execute a vision in only 10 weeks to a competition standard.

MY EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES
I am loosely involved in UO student chapter of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS), but most of my time is spent commuting to and from the home that my fiancé and I own in McMinnville, OR. As an ex-college volleyball player I do still play in adult leagues around the area semi-regularly, though unfortunately none affiliated with UO.

MY GREATEST LEARNING EXPERIENCE AT UO
My greatest learning experience at UO has been to never count myself out—imposter syndrome is something so many people deal with, so just keep doing things!

AFTER GRADUATION
After graduation, I will continue working for the architecture firm that I currently work for in Salem, OR. I picture my fiancé and I graduating in the coming years, getting to a place where we feel financially stable, then possibly starting a family. Professionally, I will continue to grow with the support of my firm and I hope yo get involved in a non-profit which allows me the opportunity to offer professional services at a rate that is accessible for work on that level. I want financial freedom, so I can use my time to give back.

YOUR GIFT
This scholarship is so important to me because going back to school after being four years removed from my undergraduate degree has been quite a transition. My fiancé and I bought a house in 2021, and I entered the architecture profession soon after as an intern. I fell in love with architecture and getting a degree was written into my employment contract. Architecture school has been an exhilarating experience, but also the most financially challenging time in my life. So this scholarship, really helps fill in the gaps where familial and community support have lacked in my adult life.

You have changed my life. Without this help, I don’t think I would be able to sustain the financial responsibilities I have to my school and my home. This scholarship guarantees me a fall term where everything is paid for and for that I am eternally grateful.