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Lizzy Sommer, an architecture major graduating with a certificate in lighting design, plans to take a month off for a road trip to California before starting her architecture career at Coburn. 

Try to have some fun. I know studio can be stressful but really cherish and prioritize time with your friends and all of the little college moments. It's a special time that will be over in the blink of an eye.

Where are you from?
Suburb of Chicago

Tell us about your involvement and/or student leadership roles in and/or outside of ENVD.
I was a part of the Solar Decathlon back in 2020-2021 where I was able to help design and build a sustainable house. It was a great experience where I got to see something on paper come to life and learn a ton about construction and how a building really comes together and that was an amazing opportunity to have as an undergrad.

What inspired you to come to ENVD when choosing your school?
I actually was originally a neuroscience and psychology major when starting at CU and was only minoring in ENVD. I only had a studio for my first year and it took up my whole life and was even harder than my science classes I was balancing. But I enjoyed it. I found myself really wanting to focus on that instead. Then one day I attended a lecture by Marianne Holbert and it was so inspiring that I changed my major the next day to ENVD and dropped my other majors. I have always been interested in art, design, and psychology, and this felt like a really natural way to combine all of the things I love.

What is one of the greatest experiences or lessons from your time at CU Boulder that you'll carry with you into the next chapter of your life?
Connections with others are the only thing that truly matters in life, so make sure to find some time for your life connections in this crazy world.

Based on what you know now, what is your best piece of advice for other students?
Get good at time management and finish projects well before the deadline so you can go out and have some fun while everyone else is stressing!

Describe one of your favorite memories.
I have tons, but some of my favorites from college are definitely with my roommate/best friend and are usually involving mundane times that we somehow made fun and momentous just by paying attention to them.

What does graduating from college represent for you?
I'm not sure yet! My roommate always tells me that nothing really makes sense until it's over, and that's something I believe as well. So we'll see. But it's certainly a new chapter

What are your plans beyond graduation?
I'm going to take a month off to do a little road trip to California, and then I'll be starting my architecture career path at Coburn!