“What is something people wouldn’t normally know about architects?”

“We’re like a family. There are only forty or so of us per graduating class. We’re in here all the time together. Zero filters, zero boundaries. It all comes out between us. And we can be a really goofy group, especially when we’re all in here late at night. It starts at midnight. Then everyone just gets kind of goofy. People at Starbucks are used to seeing us ask for two Ventis.”

               “I don’t think I’ve ever had a Venti before!”

“It’s a beautiful thing.”

“What made you want to be an architect?”

“I love to draw. But it’s more than that. I love art; at the same time, buildings can be art if you build them right. It’s something you can interact with every day.”

               “What’s the best part of being an architect?”

“Finishing a project. It’s rewarding, and a sense of relief. But you work long and hard on your projects. Right now we are designing an archive building for downtown South Bend in the Ionic Order. We’ve had a project for each of the columnar orders, this being the third. …I haven’t been out of this building until after 5 am every day this week.”