Spring can provide a sense of promise and renewal. But for Hollie McIntire, a student in Lawrence Technological University’s master’s program in Architecture, the start of the season brought elation as well.
“It was truly an honor to have my work appreciated through this award.”
Hollie McIntire, 2023 DAA scholarship award recipient
In April 2023, McIntire learned that she had been honored with an LTU Distinguished Architecture Alumni (DAA) Graduate Scholarship, an annual merit-based scholarship to encourage highly accomplished LTU architecture students to continue to attend the University in pursuit of their graduate studies in architecture.
As part of the application process for the DAA Graduate Scholarship, students must submit a portfolio containing examples of work from a variety of classroom experiences at LTU.
“I was able to highlight academic, professional, and even personal projects—even including my interests in crocheting and ceramics—in developing my portfolio for the scholarship application,” said McIntire. “It was truly an honor to have my work appreciated through this award.”
McIntire lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. She had previously earned undergraduate degrees in interior design from Ensign College and in architecture from the University of Utah. In fact, her interest in the field began with her enthusiasm for interior design, which she indulged in by taking high school classes in the discipline as well as by going on regular excursions with her mother to see historic buildings.
“Architecture was the closest program to interior design that the University of Utah offered, so I enrolled in it and soon fell in love with it,” she said.
McIntire initially decided to pursue her master’s degree in architecture at LTU for a more practical reason: the full master’s program was available online, enabling her to remain close to her family and continue at her full-time job in Salt Lake City. She soon began to see additional benefits.
“I wanted a different experience from that of the University of Utah, whose architecture program is more art-driven,” she explained. “I wanted something more technical, more aligned with what I can expect in the world of professional architects.” LTU’s National Architectural Accrediting Board (NAAB) accreditation was also a key selling point.
“I have actually developed some really good friendships through this program, maybe because it makes me more inclined to reach out to others in similar situations,” said McIntire.
McIntire looks forward to graduating from LTU with her master’s degree in the spring of 2024. She hopes to specialize in architecture that focuses on ecclesiastical and healthcare structures, interests that take her back to her family heritage. In addition to the frequent trips with her mother, McIntire’s father, a physician, employed her in his medical practice while she pursued her degrees at Ensign and the University of Utah.
In addition to her educational achievements, McIntire has already made significant progress in pursuit of her professional goal by having accumulated the majority of Architectural Experience Program (AXP) credits required to become a licensed architect.
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