Danilo Velazquez
Chicago, Illinois
I had the opportunity to be in Cornell's Introduction to Architecture summer course. This was by far the most transformative experience that I have been part of.
Why did you choose Cornell and AAP?
Cornell has consistently been ranked as one of the best places to obtain a B.Arch., but by no means was this the only reason for me choosing it. Cornell is situated in upstate New York, which is a very different experience from living in Chicago, but its campus is gorgeous. It is safe to say that Cornell's architecture facilities are probably the coolest in, at least, all of North America. In the summer after my junior year of high school, I had the opportunity to be in Cornell's Introduction to Architecture summer course. This was by far the most transformative experience that I have been part of. I met some of the coolest and motivated people here, many of whom will be joining me for the next 5 years. The AAP staff is filled with super awesome people, and the robust alumni of the program work on amazing projects and give equally amazing lectures. Being part of a small college within a large university is another plus, especially since I'll be able to see everyone grow with me. Cornell AAP just offers everything that I need to be comfortable and productive for the next five years.
What are your extracurricular interests and how have you incorporated them into your college life?
Most of my free time is spent either watching YouTube, anime, playing video games, and sometimes reading manga. My favorite console is the Nintendo Switch, and recently I've gotten into the Dark Souls series. I've also been practicing Hawaiian and Brazilian style Ju-Jitsu for a couple of years, as well as break-dancing.
What do you hope to accomplish during your time at AAP and after graduation?
I'm hoping that AAP can connect me with firms to intern with between every school year. The road to becoming a licensed architect is daunting, and I would like to get as much of my AXP hours in as I can while I am in school. I'm confident that AAP will have lots of internship opportunities that I can take advantage of. Learning more about the Adobe and Autodesk Suites and Rhino are also pretty important to me as I believe that good representation is one of the most important parts of design. Although I haven't thought much about post-grad other than obtaining a license, I would like to emphasize the user experience and create work that makes life easier for everyone.
