We’re pleased to welcome Fiona Smith-Calonico, a student in Cal Poly SLO’s architecture program, to ABA as our summer intern. Here’s a little Q&A to get to know her.
Tell us a bit about yourself, Fiona.
I am going into my fifth and final year of my architecture degree. My parents are both immigrants who work in a national lab. I grew up in the Tri-Valley with my younger brother, Conor. Some of my interests are painting, crochet, cooking, and environmentalism. Having an Irish father and a Mexican mother, I have been interested in exposing myself to new cultures my whole life. In Mexico it is more common to try and use up what you already have and reduce waste. That is how I became interested in how humans can impact the environment. I became vegetarian when I was 12 for environmental reasons, and now I am interested to see how we can do our part to reduce our impact through the built environment.
What drew you to architecture?
I originally applied to Cal Poly’s architectural engineering major because I had an interest in math and design. Architecture appealed to me because it combines practical application with creativity. I took my first architecture studio course in my freshman year of college, and I immediately knew I wanted to switch over. After all, there is nothing more rewarding than creating something and seeing it come to fruition.
