Finding my path in higher education has been a journey. In my senior year of high school, I thought a lot about the future I would like to create for myself. I was torn between wanting to study music performance or civil engineering, a path that could eventually lead me to architecture. It was at this time that I took a class in photography and a class in ceramics. I had always been an artistic person, but these two classes ignited a love for visual art.
My photography partner
Ultimately, I chose to study civil engineering at New York University. I would spend a year and a half in New York before extenuating circumstances had me transferring to CU Boulder to study Architectural Engineering. Throughout this time my love of photography grew to be my creative escape. Outside of work and classes I spent most of my free time practicing photography.
While studying at CU I started to find I no longer enjoyed the math and science that went into engineering. I took a class about engineering drawing in which the final project was to design a house. This project showed me how much I really loved the process of creative design. Between this project and my love of photography I decided to change my major yet again.
I looked into what options might be available within CU Boulder and, following the advice of my advisor, I decided to transfer degree programs within the engineering school to study creative technology and design. I really enjoyed this program, and this is where I found a passion for the field of digital design. However, after one semester in this program I found that Boulder wasn’t the right fit for me. Looking into other programs nearby I found the digital design program at CU Denver. This program perfectly combined my love of creating while also using creative problem solving that initially got me into engineering.
Early Work
Semester at CU Boulder
1st semester at CU Denver
Poster Design Project
Lauren Martinez Design 