I grew up going to Kanakuk Kamps in Branson, MO. This is a christian athletics summer camp for kids from the age of 7 to 18. Being a camper and a counselor here shaped my life in so many ways by challenging me to grow and surrounding me with an incredible community. The cabins at camp are nothing fancy, but they hold great memories that I will cherish forever. Each cabin is built to hold up to 14 people (12 campers and 2 counselors), and they hold beds, showers, toilets and sinks. They are not upgraded very often, but this creates a fun atmosphere for the campers.

I spent this past summer living in San Francisco so I got to experience a different type of architecture living around there. The Palace of Fine Arts is one building in particular that stood out to me. The palace was designed by Bernard Maybeck, a well-known California architect. He designed the palace to resemble a Roman ruin, which he achieved by the detailed human art sketches and rounded dome. Standing in the middle of this palace and looking up felt amazing. The architect did a good job of making it feel open and welcoming, but also extravagant. The last time I visited I came here with friends at 2 AM and danced around with people inside the palace. It was definitely a very memorable experience.

I went through recruitment my freshman year of college and decided to go Gamma Phi Beta. During the past 3, now 4, years of college, Gamma Phi has played such a vital roll in my growth as a woman and a college student. During my sophomore year I lived in the Sorority house in a room with 5 other girls. It was while living in that I made some of my best friends, who are still my roommates now. The Psi chapter of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority was founded in 1918 and the house has been remodeled four times with continuous upgrades every semester.

The Oklahoma football stadium has become a place where I have created so many memories. It creates an atmosphere for both families and college students to gather together. The stadium has been in works since 1923, and was most recently renovated in 2016. It took the help of past coaches, such as Bennie Owen, and architects Layton and Hicks to set us up for the stadium we enjoy today.  Everyone  I know  who  comes  to  a game  at  OU  marvels  at  the  size  and  beauty  of  our  stadium,  and  it  has  made  me  love  being  a student  here  even  more.

Located in downtown Oklahoma City, The Chesapeake Energy Arena has served as the home for the Oklahoma City Thunder since 2008. Initially named the Ford center from its opening in 2002 later renamed the Chesapeake Energy Arena or “The Peake” in 2010, this arena has been a place for more than 18,000 fans to congregate multiple times a week during the NBA season. To me, this place is the perfect embodiment of Oklahoma City’s passion for athletics and specifically basketball. The electricity in this arena during a playoff basketball game is something that cannot easily be described, even though we are more than likely not going to be able to experience this for a couple of years as the Thunder begins their reboot.  The space inside the arena is very versatile and can be configured to house whatever event is needed. Other than the Thunder, Chesapeake Arena also acts as a concert venue (my first concert), convention center, and civic event hall. Throughout my time growing up in Oklahoma City I’ve seen the city grow exponentially and no other building can represent that better than the Chesapeake Energy Arena.

I grew up outside of Chicago. Going downtown was really common for my family. One of my favorite places to go was the Field Museum. I loved getting to learn about natural history while seeing the artifacts on display. Daniel Burnham was the main architect for the museum, he fought for its location to be along Chicago’s lakefront. The Field Museum construction began in 1915, it took 6 years and 7 million dollars to create. It was then opened to the public in 1921. The neoclassical architecture created the perfect atmosphere for Chicago’s natural history Museum.

Nothing is better than gamedays in Norman, and one of the factors that plays into great gamedays is the stadium for the main event. Oklahoma Memorial Stadium is one of the best venues to watch college football in the entire country, and for good reason. The layout of a bowl stadium with upper decks brings in a great crowd every Saturday. Going to games and walking by it everyday when I go to my classes reminds of why OU is such a great university and why we have such a great team year in and year out. The atmosphere combined with the traditions of OU make it an ideal environment for all OU football fans. The crowd noise and the student section account for many memories at the stadium. I can’t wait to visit the stadium for games long after I leave OU.

New York City is a special place for me because I have visited it many times and my older sister is now living and working there. There are thousands of buildings to encounter, but the one building that stands out to me is One World Trade Center. OWTC is the tallest in the city at 1,776 feet and one of the tallest in the world. The design is unique and the experience you get from observing everything from the top is unmatched. Sometimes I can’t believe how cool the view is from the top. It also stands out because of the reasoning and purpose behind its construction. If you are planning on going to NYC anytime soon, make sure to visit OWTC.

I spent most of my younger years in a little, godforsaken town of Mayfield, OK- Population 3. Contrary to popular beilf, growing up in the middle of nowhere is not all the bad; you have wide open spaces, plenty of things to do, and no one to pry into your business. My ranch amasses almost 280 acres of pristine wheat/cattle land and can only be described as a little slice of heaven. No don’t get me wrong, living out in western OKlahoma requires a type of grit that most people don’t have and might never be able to attain. Sweltering Summers, Frigid winters, and more wind that you can imagine. However,  it takes a little pain and suffering to enjoy most of the hostility and wildness to the land. We would rarely go into town during the summer and most of the time it was to either get gas, or go to baseball games. Many times on our way to the little league baseball fields, I would always look out at the tallest building within 30 square miles and wonder “How in the world can they build something so tall?” At the time of this recollection, I would usually be staring at the Beckam County Courthouse. At the time, it was the tallest building that I had ever seen and to the extent of my knowledge, there was no way in hell that anyone could have ever built it without some divine help. However, it was the highlight of my trip into town when we would drive down Main Street and hear the rumble of the cobblestone in the old cowtown and look up to see such a thought provoking building. It fascinated me at a young age and had a profound effect on my appreciation for a such a Romanesque building. It was contrasted by the architecture firm of Layton, Smith & Hawk in 1911 and has stood over 109 years on the corner of 3rd and Walnut. It is made up of local brick and stone and leading up to its entrance, it has two Tuscan Columns on either side of the doorway. A fun fact that I thought might provide some insight to the years that it has seen, it appeared in the film adaptation of John Steinbeck’s ‘The Grapes of Wrath’, as many Oklahomans would have in the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl taking Route 66 towards California. Just like the cherry on top, the most interesting thing to my younger self was the dome on top of this building; The dome is made of several Doric Columns that are positioned in a octagon and hold up four clocks facing every direction, symbolizing it as a beacon in a vast area of plains and rolling grassland.

The AAC is a building I have visited numerous times for various occasions. Being from Dallas, I have been a frequent consumer of the AAC and all that it offers. My family has been season ticket holders for the Mavs and Stars for a few years, and I am always trying to drive back home from Norman for a few games. The layout, atmosphere, staff, and amenities don’t compare to other sports venues. I have had a lot of memories here with a lot of different people over the years and am looking forward to more in the future.