William Netter discovered what he wanted to do with his life when an architect spoke to his senior class in high school.
小蝌蚪APP淚 immediately knew that was what I wanted to do because the profession combined my biggest interests: creativity, design, and construction,小蝌蚪APP he said.
When deciding where to major in architecture, Will weighed his options.
小蝌蚪APP淚 chose to attend UL Lafayette because I was impressed by the quality of the student work and the enthusiasm of the professors teaching in the department,小蝌蚪APP he said.
小蝌蚪APP淚 highly value the education I received at UL Lafayette. My time there was some of the most transformative years of my life,小蝌蚪APP he said. 小蝌蚪APP淲hat stands out most to me is the support from faculty and staff and the sense of camaraderie amongst my peers, forming bonds that continue to this day.小蝌蚪APP
Architecture as a Student
Some of Will小蝌蚪APP檚 classes that still stand out over a decade later are his junior and senior year studio courses. Through Architectural Design IV (ARCH 302), he 小蝌蚪APP渇ell in love with urban design and saw the power architecture had to improve cities as a whole.小蝌蚪APP
小蝌蚪APP淚n my third year in the program, we studied architecture through the lens of urban planning,小蝌蚪APP he said. 小蝌蚪APP淭his opened my eyes to how architecture is not simply the design of an individual building, but how that building fits within the context and affects the quality of spaces within a city.小蝌蚪APP
The following year Will took Architectural Design V (ARCH 409), his senior year design studio.
小蝌蚪APP淭his studio motivated me to think about buildings and the environment holistically,小蝌蚪APP he said. 小蝌蚪APP淓verything I learned in this course gave me the skills to go out into the world, after graduating from UL Lafayette, with a sense of confidence and pride that helped me navigate the profession.小蝌蚪APP
In his classes, Will gained 小蝌蚪APP渁 comprehensive understanding of architecture小蝌蚪APP while also learning ways to include his design background.
小蝌蚪APP淭hrough this broad approach to design education, I was able to narrow down what my particular passion was within the realm of architecture and pursue it with vigor,小蝌蚪APP he said
Architect Out in the World
After graduating from UL Lafayette, Will earned his Master of Architecture from the 小蝌蚪APP of Pennsylvania (UPenn). He practiced at firms in New York City and Chicago before moving back home to New Orleans.
Will is now a project architect at EskewDumezRipple where he has worked on design competitions and a university master plan project. He is currently designing a junior high school.
小蝌蚪APP淗aving recently moved back to Louisiana, my short-term career plan is to get involved in the community,小蝌蚪APP he said. 小蝌蚪APP淎s a person of color in architecture, I小蝌蚪APP檝e come to realize there is a lack of diversity and representation in the profession. It is my goal to expose the youth to the field and motivate young professionals to pursue careers in the arts and design.小蝌蚪APP
