Jessica Gardenhire grew up in Cleveland, Ohio. She is the daughter of an electrician, and she cites him as a big influence on her growing up and on her eventual interest in architecture. She always had a present example of someone who was very hands-on in solving problems.
Jessica’s interests also aligned with an architecture career. She liked math and art, and while science didn’t always appeal to her, physics was a natural fit. She took a quiz at her library that evaluated her skills and suggested fields that she would excel in, and that quiz suggested architecture.
Having decided to become an architect, Jessica looked up architecture schools and applied to some of the top-ranked ones, not realizing at the time that one of them was an Ivy League school. Of course, it was that school, Cornell, where she was accepted and ended up doing her undergraduate degree in architecture.
In today’s episode, Jessica talks about her experiences at Cornell, her architecture exams, and how she ended up in California. She also discusses the important panel idea that she submitted for the Young Architect Summer Series.
- What You’ll Hear on This Episode:
- What inspired Jessica to pursue a career in architecture
- Where Jessica went to architecture school
- What Jessica’s Cornell experience was like
- How Jessica ended up moving to CA
- Jessica’s experience with the architecture exams
- How the California exam went for Jessica
- Jessica’s mental health journey
- What resiliency means to Jessica
- Jessica’s panel idea for the Young Architect Summer Series
- Why she thinks her panel idea is important
- Jessica’s advice for aspiring architects
- What Jessica knows now that she didn’t know then
- The book that changed everything for Jessica
- Jessica’s favorite resource, product, or gadget
- Jessica’s best time saving trick
- How listeners can find Jessica
- Top Three Takeaways from This Episode:
- When you know you need a break, take one.
- Eliminate self-doubt.
- Imposter syndrome is real, but you don’t have to let it drag you down.
Jessica’s Advice for Aspiring Architects:
“I would say try your best to eliminate self-doubt.”
Favorite Quotes:
“I’d say a big life lesson I learned is that I have to make the decision to do something.” – What Jessica knows now that she didn’t know then.
“I would say last year, my biggest comfort book was Becoming by Michelle Obama.” –The book that changed everything for Jessica
“I can’t say my smartphone, because that’s, of course, my answer, but I will throwback to when I was taking my exams. My favorite gadget during exams was actually my tablet.” –Jessica on her favorite resource, product, or gadget
“One of my best time saving tricks is not checking anything on my phone until my feet are out the door.” –Jessica on her best time-saving trick
Resources Mentioned on the Show:
