The start of Something Great

Today is the day! Join me as I start my journey as a new blogger! My goal is to reach out and be informative for students, parents, and professionals about architecture and what it means as a student. For my first post we will discuss my background, logic and reasons for making a blog.

Today’s Topics

• Who am I? And what is my story?
• Why am I starting a blog?
• What topics will I write about?

Who Am I? And What Is My Story?

Hello all, to those of you who do not know me, I am Alonzo Colon.

I have been playing soccer since I was a little kid. Growing up I have developed from being the chubby kid on the field to being the most fit player on the field. By time I was in high school I was on a nationally top 25 ranked club team, and my high school was in the 7th toughest conference in the country. Over the course of the years, I have been recognized with many awards and have been the captain for every team that I have played on.

Then there is the academic side of my life. I have always been a straight ‘A’ student and I started playing the violin in 5th grade. Architecture also struck me at a young age.

As a little kid, my dad helped design the house I grew up in and from that moment on, I always knew that I wanted to grow up to be an architect.

I started off in middle school. I had a graph paper notebook that I kept with me everywhere I went. Inside it, I would always draw floor plans of what I thought being an architect was like. I drew the houses I have lived in, the houses my cousins live in, and my dream house of the future.

Going into high school, I was sure that I wanted to be an architect. So I went in with the mindset that I want to set myself up for the future to be successful. Freshman and Sophomore year I took the general art classes and made sure I kept up my grades so I could get into whatever college I wanted. My Junior and Senior years were the most essential to the development of where I am now. This is where I got to learn some essential programs like Google Sketchup and the Adobe Suites. We also did research into green design, learned different sketching techniques, and made models to present during class.

I would always stay after school to work on my projects because I was very invested in learning the software and making my work the best it can be.

The summer prior to entering Virginia Tech, I completed two internships. One with Arium AE, and the other with Banta Campbell. I am very grateful that these firms allowed me to intern with them over the course of the summer. I learned various skills that otherwise I would not have known, and I got to visit constructions sites, meet with clients, and work on Autocad and Revit models.

The week before school started I attended the Virginia Tech Black Alumni Reunion which is where my college experience started. I was one of two entering Freshman that attended the event and I quickly became best friends with Chris Royal, the other Freshman there in attendance. This event opened me up to the Virginia Tech community and was a networking event full of people in which I still stay in contact with today.

Skipping forward to the end of my Freshman year, I have accomplished all of the goals that I set forth for myself at the beginning of the school year and more:

• First-Year Representative for the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS)
• Futurehaus Design Team Member
• College of Architecture and Urban Studies Student Ambassador
• Seismic Design Team Leader

Why Am I starting A Blog?

If you begin by doing a quick search of my name on google, the first thing you find is my Facebook, followed by some information about my high school soccer career, and then you get to my LinkedIn account.

Now that I am pursuing architecture as my main focus in life, I want that to be the first thing you see. I am looking to create a name for myself in the world of architecture. I want my name to mean something.

“The students that will succeed first in being a successful architect are the ones that have their own website with information about themselves, in addition to their resume and portfolio”

Bobby Vance

Something that I always find myself doing when I am bored is searching YouTube. One of the first things I always search for is architecture to then find nothing new has appeared or that there is just not much there to begin with. I always wanted to find a way to connect with students and design professionals to give them insight into what school is like and offer suggestions and ways that I can help other students with things that they struggle through.

So the main reason for this blog is to create a place for students to connect and get a better understanding of what architecture will be like for them. I remember when I was in high school (and still currently) that I was in a position where I constantly had questions about architecture and I found it hard having a place to go and ask questions about the profession. I want to provide that outlet so that I can help students in their journey as my form of community service. For design professionals, I want to provide insight into the kind of questions that students want to know, or how you can help students when you hire them for internships.

What Topics Will I Write About?

There are numerous topics in architecture to talk about. I plan on writing weekly on my blog and be informative to whoever tunes in. Some of the topics I plan on talking about are:

• Being an architecture student at Virginia Tech
• Things that high school students can do to prepare for college
• software tools and tips for college students
• Design research
• Innovative technology in design
• any questions or topics that you as viewers are interested in

If you have read this far, thank you! I am excited about where this blog will lead me and what other opportunities will open up for me through this. I hope you have a wonderful day.

Dream Big!