Summer camps for kids interested in architecture don’t come along often – at least that’s what Elise Bolton’s mother discovered when she searched for one. But then, not a whole lot of 11-year-olds may dream of becoming architects.
But that was the case for Bolton, a sophomore in Kent State University’s College of Architecture and Environmental Design, who knew from when she was a young child that she wanted to be an architect.
“I knew that I wanted to be an architect since I was very young, like 11 years old,” Bolton, who hails from South Euclid, Ohio, told Kent State Today. “It started with my passion for drawing. I drew a lot of houses.”
Bolton and her mother were also big fans of watching home remodeling programs on television.
“I liked seeing houses being renovated,” she said. “I had some LEGO sets, and I had doll houses, you know, just basic things a young child would like. But you know, usually most children don’t think about what they want to be that young. But I knew what I wanted.”
Her parents, Stacy and Lennice Bolton, were supportive and encouraged her dream, but when they started looking for camps or any kind of experience that would give Bolton some exposure to the field, they found the offerings were nonexistent.
Then, Bolton’s mom saw a social media post about Kent State’s Making Our Own Space program, known as MOOS, which is offered through the architecture college’s Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative.
Finding the MOOS program
MOOS operates in the neighborhoods in the greater Cleveland area to empower youth with the skills to creatively transform their neighborhood’s public spaces. Through hands-on outdoor workshops, students design and construct environments and playscapes that are appealing and usable to their community.
Clifford “Ben” Herring, coordinator of the MOOS program and a principal of PAADG Studio in Cleveland, said the MOOS program began as an extension of the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative, which seeks to engage the public in how they can change and improve public spaces.
“We saw that there was a need to specifically focus on young people in the under-resourced neighborhoods in which we work,” Herring said, explaining how the MOOS program came to be.
The program, he said, provides an introduction to students to the ideas of design and architecture, which is particularly important as classes on art, design and shop continue to shrink within public schools.
“When talking to young people about what they want to see changed in their neighborhoods, one of the exciting things that comes out of that is new ideas to solve problems that we all have,” Herring said. “For example, where there may not be bike racks, students know where those bike racks need to be because they ride their bikes.”
MOOS is a design-and-build program initiated by students and provides a bridge between learning about the skills and discovering how those skills can be translated into careers in architecture, design or construction management.
In the greater scheme, however, Herring said the program makes youth aware of their communities, how they can change and improve their neighborhoods, and how Kent State can play a role in shaping how those youths can become more engaged citizens as adults.
“They leave as better participants in their communities,” he said.
Finding her passion
Bolton started in a MOOS program in South Euclid, Ohio, in the spring of 2021, when she was 15.
“Our project was a triangle island in South Euclid, and we had to come up with something that we wanted to add to the landscape because it was pretty much bare,” Bolton said. “So, we built a welcome sign, and we built a seating area around a tree. It was a little project, but to me, any steps that counted toward architecture were the goal.”
The leaders of MOOS at the time noticed Bolton’s passion for the work, and they told her about Kent State’s architecture college.
“They really pushed me to become an architect and to pursue architecture,” she said.
When it came time to select a university, Bolton said she only considered Kent State and one other, but Kent State proved the better option for her. That her older brother was studying computer science at Kent State also helped influence her decision to attend. Bolton’s father also had attended Kent State for several years before leaving to join the military.
“I wanted to experience college with my brother, which I think is cool,” Bolton said.
Bolton, who is in the Honors College, is also pursuing a minor in construction management and holds down a part-time job in the college’s fabrication laboratory. She chose to enter Honors College for the additional academic challenge and leadership opportunities the program provides.
Herring said he recalls learning about Bolton from his predecessor in the program.
“She said, ‘This girl is really cool. Her mom is really interested in getting her involved',” Herring recalled. “It’s unusual when students come into our program for them to already know what design, architecture and planning are.”
Most students who take part in MOOS are more excited about using power tools, but Bolton’s interests were always in design.
“Elise is an unusual case in that respect, which is also really exciting whenever we have the opportunity to work with students who have very pointed questions about what architecture is and how can I do it,” Herring said.
Coming full circle
Even more exciting, then, for Herring to welcome Bolton back to MOOS as an intern over the summer of 2024, and to watch her go from MOOS participant to Kent State architecture student and MOOS employee.
Bolton is grateful to the leaders of the MOOS program and the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative for welcoming her back.
“Because of them, I returned to MOOS not as a student, but as a leader this past summer,” she said. “We went around Cleveland, and instead of me learning about design and helping my neighborhood and contributing to the well-being of it, I got to teach other youth to appreciate their neighborhood and to build something for it. It was a full-circle moment for me.”
As she finishes her second year, Bolton loves her experience in the architecture college, which this semester included a project on designing a fire station.
She hopes to have a study abroad experience next year, and is already thinking about her licensing exams after graduation.
“I’d like to be licensed as soon as possible,” she said. “A dream of mine is to be around the world designing as many buildings as I can."