After our day long workshop in January our class was excited to
meet up again at Page, and check in with the class and kick off our discussions
for our class community project. The ELP class welcomed our first guest speaker
Mr. Walt Humann, a well-recognized individual in the DFW area not only for his
business but also his public service efforts. As the 2015 class ramps up we
will begin our selection for the class community project with which we will
volunteer our time, talents, and knowledge in an effort to better the community
where we live and work. Mr. Humann shared with us a case study of a highly
successful endeavor he has been working on, the Jubilee Community Center, and
he was able to share the triumphs and challenges faced as their team worked
tirelessly to make this public service project a reality. He stressed to the
class the importance of being involved in our communities and staying involved,
something which I know inspired me personally and I felt like it strongly
resonated with the class as well.
Going around the room, Walt took the time to ask each of us what
our thoughts were on the future and what we felt were going to be challenges we
would face in the future. As architects many, if not all, of us feel a social
responsibility to improve the fabric of the built environment in which we live
and work. We all enjoyed the opportunity to hear Walt’s experiences, and then
also to have a brief Q&A session with him at the end to inquire about his
thoughts, opinions on current issues in the DFW area.
After class we all met up at the Woolworth for happy hour where we could "let our hair down", share with each other some of our current experiences at work, and socialize about the class discussion in a more casual setting. Having the opportunity for open and honest peer discussions about class, work, and life are one of the things I am looking forward too most with our class.
Cheers!
-Kelly Knowlton
