This may just look like a normal office building to you, but this piece of architecture is so much more to me. This is the office building where my dad’s architectural firm was located for 36 years. I grew up from a very young age coming to this building. In the summers this is where my older sister and I would spend most of our time. We got to know all of the people in this building very well. I remember even helping out some of the designers pick out wall colors and carpet samples for a few of their projects. 

My favorite part of the design of the space was the wooden spiral staircase leading up to an upstairs platform that looks over the entire office space. This building has influenced me in so many different ways over the years. However, something that is the most special to me is that this is also the place where I had my first official job. Once I started working there, I found out that Mike Price was the architect of this building. 

Jean Nouvel is a French architect born in 1945 that has designed many different buildings all across the world. One of his most famous architecture designs is the Torre Glories, formerly known as the Torre Agbar. It is a 38 story tall skyscraper located in Barcelona Spain that was finished in 2005. It is built to look like a geyser shooting into the air. It is the third tallest building in the city of Barcelona. This building is one that I find extremely interesting because I have never personally seen a building look similar to this. This just shows the imagination that Nouvel has.

This is Lottie Jane Mabee Hall. I know what a name for a building right? Well a little bit of backstory about me is that I actually attended the University of Tulsa for my first semester of college. This was my dorm building. There is also a twin building across the green called John Mabee. The Mabee’s donated the money for the buildings to show their love for each other.  Even though I was only living in this building for a few months this place influenced me in many ways, both positive and negative.   When I was living here it was my first time living completely on my own, away from my family. There were so many things that were different, having to make sure I had food and water stocked up periodically, having to do my own laundry, having an RA come do room checks, having to find parking all the time, random fire alarms always going off, and having to share a bathroom with complete strangers. However, this building also taught me some life lessons and helped me truly realize what Independence is like. Without Lottie Jane I wouldn’t have grown into the person I am today. The building is a Gothic style of architecture and houses 234 women.  It is the oldest dorm building at the University of Tulsa. 

This here is my church, Prestonwood. This church brings lots of memories and happiness in my life. I remember going to church every Sunday with my dad and brother and meeting up with all of my dads friends and their kids. Some of them I still keep in contact with today. This church has the best food of any church by far. I also came to this church with my dad to practice basketball in the gym. We even went for the Christmas show, which was actually quite amazing. But, the most important thing will be listening to the word of God every Sunday. As a strong Christian, this church will always hold a spot in my life for everything it has ever brought to me.

If you’re not familiar with this piece of architecture, this is Community Christian School (CCS). I started attending this school when I was eight years old and stopped attending when I was 14. This school has influenced my life in ways I can’t even describe. I remember being in complete culture shock during my first days of attendance. However, once I got over being the new girl this school brought me so much joy at the time, and so many people to call friends. Considering that CCS is a private Christian school we did many different activities compared to public school, some of those being: wearing a uniform, Bible Class, a fall festival, and a big homecoming week. One of the reasons I loved this school was because of the great sense of community. CCS is a school that teaches Pre-K through12th grade and it was a very different experience than just a normal elementary or middle school. I loved how they included us from a young age in all the special events. Many of the students and parents used to joke about how CCS actually looks like a prison because of there are very few windows.  Once you go inside it was a very cozy environment to spend time in. 

Because of my strong vendetta against my dorm, I spent an awful lot of time at the Sigma Nu fraternity house, which I can comfortably say is the nicest house on OU’s campus. To give context, it opened up in the spring of 2017 so it’s almost brand new. I still remember receiving my initial tour: the balcony that overlooked south of campus was probably my favorite part. In the spring of 2019 we finalized our state-of-the-art media rooms that use the same technology as the biggest IMAX theater in the country. All the amenities plus the memories I’ve made with my friends makes the Sigma Nu house especially important to me.

This here is Hebron High School. This school comes with many pros and cons, but for the most part, pros. Here is where I gained many of my lifelong friends. Here I had some of the best experiences to shape me into the person I am today. Here is where I met many teachers that I’m still in contact with today. Those teacher not only taught class, but personally taught me about how to be an adult. They taught me how to be successful. I remember I would actually skip class every day to go to my two favorites teachers class’, Coach Rodgers and Mr. Smith. We would talk for hours about stocks, flipping houses, cryptocurrencies, you name it. This school definitely has one of the effects on who I am today and I’m very grateful for it, while still accepting all the negativities.