Meet Melissa Goodwin, the newest member of our Architecture team in Galesburg, IL!
Q: Tell us a bit about yourself…
Melissa: I grew up in New Hampton, Iowa and am the oldest of three kids. I attended Washington University in St. Louis for college and in 2013, I graduated from Iowa State with a Masters of Architecture and a Masters of Community and Regional Planning. Shortly thereafter, I got a job working for the City of Ames Electric Department as a drafter. In my free time, I enjoy seeing movies, watching sports, and spending time outside either hiking or biking.
Q: Why did you want to become an architect?
Melissa: My interest in architecture stemmed from the many days I spent as a kid playing with Legos and drawing. I could spend entire snow days designing and building new Lego communities, sometimes even drawing them out ahead of time as a way to plan my design. As I got older, I started to notice interesting and “pretty” buildings and it was exciting to me to be able to combine some of the things I loved as a kid into a career as an architect.
Q: What sports teams do you root for?
Melissa: I’ve been a Cleveland baseball fan since 1995 when I watched them in the World Series while my family moved from Ohio to Iowa. They were the first team I adopted as my own and still follow them today.
Q: Where was the last place you traveled and what did you find interesting about it?
Melissa: The last place I traveled was Decorah, Iowa. Even though I grew up near there, I never got a chance to spend a lot of time in the town and I’ve always wanted to visit. Decorah is home to Toppling Goliath Brewing Company, and I really enjoyed visiting their taproom and getting a tour. The town is also home to one of Iowa’s state fish hatcheries, and it was interesting to see all the trout. The town is also really beautiful and offers a nice variety of outdoor activities.
I really enjoy driving. I really love traveling across the countryside at a pace where you can see all the different kinds of towns and natural attractions the country has to offer. I would really like to take a road trip to a part of the country I haven’t visited so I can take my time and take everything in.
Q: If you could live in any TV show, which one would it be?
Melissa: I would love to live in Pawnee, Indiana, with the rest of the folks on Parks and Recreation. I think I would just really like to be friends with all of them or be one of the many unique characters that make an appearance in the show.
Q: What advice would you give someone going into architecture?
Melissa: For someone who is interested in architecture, I would say to be ready to work hard, but don’t let the long hours in studio classes deter you. In addition to the work you put in outside of class, these design studios are places where you can bond with other students and form great friendships. It’s also a great way to develop strong teamwork skills.