Christopher T. Muschalek Memorial Scholarship

With so many things to do and endless possibilities in life, we are often tasked with summing up things among many. This challenge intensifies when considering our college majors. On top of this, we must decide which university best suits our educational needs and provides the best opportunity. Like many students, my story is the same, from selecting the right university for me and what I wanted to pursue. Early in my journey toward discovering my passion and which university to attend, I struggled to decide what to do. I talked with my parents, pastor, and friends about where to discover what I was passionate about and how to select the right school. Their answers were universally the same: they told me to "follow my heart and move how the Lord directs me." This revelation opened a new lens of sight and enabled me to identify Architecture as my major. I discovered in my youth that I always had a passion for construction and design and would often create miniature models to express this passion. I remember staying up late at night to complete these models before school in the morning and begging my mother to spend countless amounts of money to buy me supplies. I quickly learned this passion wasn't cheap, but I also uncovered why I wanted to pursue architecture. I'm pursuing architecture to primarily indulge in a space that allows me to create and implement new ideas in the built environment. My view of the built environment or infrastructure is that of a canvas that's been shared among many artists from the begging of time. Each "artist" acquires their credentials and begins to paint on this canvas how they see fit under the direction of a client. I aspire to join the likes of many great architects of our time and "paint" new wonders in the world. As I referenced earlier, I discovered that I wanted to pursue architecture came later on in life. Contrary to my early life of model making, I was indecisive in the direction that I wanted to take post-graduation. Eventually, in my junior of high school, I knew that architecture was the fit for me. From that moment forward I began to research various schools that offered architecture education and the cost of attendance. Additionally, I inquired about the student workflow and what these institutions had to offer in the new age of design. Lastly, I continued to stay informed on what I was pursuing and listened to architecture students from around the world to understand what would be expected. In conclusion, my journey in pursuing architecture was a long, yet, joyful experience that allowed me to embrace my passion. Through every step forward and every page turned, I get closer to achieving my goal of becoming an architect and shaping the new world. I encourage all who may read this essay to forge new possibilities and follow God's plans for your life to embrace your passions. We're all in this together and can achieve anything we set our minds to!