I have always been drawn to the various ways in which humans express themselves. Whether it be dancing, writing, painting, or singing – there is an effort within each discipline of human expression to pull something from deep within the spirit out into some gesture that others can engage with, react to, be provoked by, resonate with, or build upon. These modes of expression are a language without words, often in communication, cross-culturally and globally, uniting us as a species. I see architecture as no different than the other pursuits of human expression, which are part of the fabric of our instinct, but with a slightly different set of concrete objectives in practice – solving a problem, providing a solution, offering an idea, uniting a community, shifting a field, honoring the past, providing a service, etc. The other modes of human expression are, to me, less concretely objective-based but are also reactions and responses to the human experience. I am drawn to architecture because it sits as a utilitarian mode of expression. The discipline sits at the nexus of so many others, and to be a good architect, one must gain an understanding and feel ultimately for what the human experience is in our environment. The complexity of this pursuit, the spirituality of it, the technical skills required, and the collaboration with other human beings in order to generate works of original expression are all things that draw me to wanting to be an architect.