Path to Architecture: Entry 1
A Path to Architecture Paved by my Father
By Kelly Dawson
Tell us about the moment you knew architecture was the career you wanted to pursue.
My path to architecture really comes from my father. As a little girl, I would sit in the dining room with him where he would lay out plans to do estimates for sprinkler systems. He had complete sets of drawings that were fascinating to me, and I always would ask him questions. He taught me how to read the drawings, showed me which lines were walls, and asked me to help him by coloring them in. He was so sweet, and I looked up to him! I always wanted to be just like him.
Can you walk us through your education journey?
Early on, my father noticed that I was interested in art as I was always drawing during my free time. He encouraged art classes and drafting classes in middle school and high school. Once I was ready to look at colleges, my family didn’t know much about scholarships and loans. My father encouraged me to go where I wanted and said the price didn't matter. I barely knew anything about architecture schools (and my high school counselor was no help!). I only knew about Washington University, which is a private school in St. Louis and some of the neighboring schools such as the University of Kansas and Kansas State University. As a young adult, I could not believe how much college tuition was! I didn’t need to go to WashU!; I wanted to go to Kansas State. I also figured I could save my family money, so I enrolled, spent my fourth year spring semester in Italy, and graduated from there.
Were there obstacles that you faced? How did you overcome those obstacles?
I didn’t know about the vast number of schools with architecture programs. I also never lived far away from home. I wanted to be fairly close, and so did my mom, so I chose Kansas State, and the rest is history.
Maybe there is a person you want to thank for your success. Let us know who that person is.
My father always believed in me and was instrumental in my career. He is the most exemplary boss I've ever known. All of his employees love him to this day and send me messages about how much they miss him. There will never be another Chuck Dawson, the best boss they ever had...the BEST DAD EVER! I have met so many outstanding educators and colleagues over the years, but my dad is by far the person most responsible for my success.