When I was 10, I wanted to be an ecologist… like Rachel Carson.

Since then: the internet was invented, I moved to St. Louis to study architecture, cell phones became a necessity, I moved to Denmark to study design, I became subscribed to at least 50 architecture newsletters,  I moved to LA to become disillusioned with architecture firms, I obtained more than 15 social media profiles, I moved to Australia to study sustainable architecture, I met an Italian man, I moved to Italy to open a sustainable architecture firm, I began noticing at least 10 different culture shock moments each day, and I started this blog.

The sheer volume of information being thrown at my head daily has overwhelmed me to the point where I desperately need structure and limitations to help me focus. I have SO MANY things I want to write about, that I somehow can’t start writing about any of them. Does anyone know what I’m talking about? Am I crazy?

Enter, the Daily Prompt. For those of you who are outside of the WordPress sphere of influence, the Daily Prompt is just what it sounds like – a prompt… posted daily… to get you out of your writer’s block or, as in my case, your sense of being overwhelmed by too many options.

While there are a multitude of other posts I would love to work on, I am frozen in information saturation. And so I would like to pause, breathe, and focus on this one simple task –

When you were 10, what did you want to be when you grew up? What are you? Are the two connected?

When I was 10, I wanted to be an ecologist… like Rachel Carson.

I used to spend hour after hour with my colored pencils and construction paper, making little books in the shapes of different endangered animals – each one with a different story inside. I founded and served as President of KSW (Kids for Saving Wildlife) in the 3rd grade. We had 3 members, and we used to meet on the weekends to make fliers about the dwindling numbers of Pandas or White Tigers and then distribute them (illegally) to all of our neighbors’ mailboxes.

I knew I liked animals, but wasn’t so sure about this goat…

Peas in a pod.

Today I own an architecture company with my husband, which focuses on ecological and sustainable construction methods.

Why am I not an ecologist? Turns out biology and chemistry are not my strong suit. I inadvertently ended up dating the chemistry teacher’s son in high school… not with the intention of getting a better grade than I deserved, but probably with that result. I got bumped up to honors biology, which made me want to die on a daily basis. Just when I thought all hope was lost for me and my dream of saving the environment, AP Physics with Mr. Taylor came to the rescue. I loved it. I even loved the parts that were too abstract to make any real sense. That interest in physics, combined with my interest in art and design, led me down the path of architectural studies. Specializing in sustainable architecture was the natural next step for me.

Are the two connected – sustainable architecture and ecology? I am happy to say, yes. I’m trying to improve our natural environment through bettering our built environment.

What did you want to be when you were 10?

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