Building dreams

Sketching a plan for the future takes student toward architectural career

“I was interested in architecture, but I wasn’t sure I had the willingness to devote the time and effort necessary,” Gibson said. “The part of the program that intrigued me was that I could get a job doing computer-aided design.”

But under the guidance of Kubik and the rest of the Department of Civil and Architectural Engineering Technology’s multidisciplinary architecture and engineering faculty, Gibson began to see the big picture. He had looked for a job and had found a vision.

“He opened my eyes to how big this world of architecture is,” Gibson said. “He helped me mature. Now I’m here to learn. What job I end up with is secondary.”

“When Grant decided to become an architect, we sat down and designed a program of classes he would need to get into a professional degree program at a graduate school of architecture,” Kubik explained. “In addition, we developed special opportunities for directed studies, so that he could develop a respectable portfolio.”

Gibson’s world has definitely expanded. He has been to Italy with Kubik’s summer architecture course to observe firsthand examples of Rome’s classical architecture. He also has worked alongside Kubik and other faculty members through all phases of projects for Habitat for Humanity and ARCH, an organization dedicated to the preservation and restoration of significant buildings. Perhaps best of all, under Kubik’s direction, Gibson has designed a building he hopes will become home to IPFW Campus Ministries.

“It’s our job to help students realize their dreams,” Kubik said. “But sometimes we first have to help them figure out what those dreams are.”