Q & A with Kristin Hawk

Track 3 Master of Architecture student Kristin Hawk has won the Kohn Pederson Fox (KPF) Travelling Fellowship in the amount of $10,000 for 2008-2009. Hawk is one of three students chosen from 19 excellent Schools of Architecture nationwide and in Europe who were invited to participate. This is the first time a student from NC State has been awarded the fellowship.

Where are you from originally?

I was born outside of San Francisco, Calif., and my family moved to Wilmington, N.C., when I was about eight years old. I would consider my hometown Wilmington, since I spent most of my school years there and a number of years after college as well.

What is your educational background (high school, undergrad, etc.)? I graduated from New Hanover High School in Wilmington in 1986. I received by B.A. in Psychology from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1990. I also attended Career Discovery at the Harvard Graduate School of Design in the summer of 2003. It was a fast-paced six weeks intended to represent the experience of (architectural) graduate school. We had three projects over the six weeks, studio every day, lectures or discussion panels with well-known architects every morning and occasional drawing classes in the afternoon. It was a terrific experience!

Why NC State for your master’s degree? Did scholarships play a part? I am an older/returning student, and was doing (small business) accounting before returning to school. From that experience I knew I did not want to be saddled with a school debt that would limit my choices in the future or take until retirement to pay off.

While I did receive some generous scholarships from other schools, I did not receive one from NC State. However, the tuition at the schools where I was accepted was so high that the overall cost of attending NC State was still lower.

Whether or not some schools are “better” than others, it still boils down to where you find a fit and how much effort you bring to your studies. I felt that no matter where I went to school, I would get out of it what I put into it. That approach paid off for me.

When did you receive most of these? After you were enrolled in the School?

Yes, I received two for my third year of school (JA Jones & Freeman White). And two for this last semester (Kamphoefner & Eastern AIA). I was also a teaching assistant for Jeremy Ficca’s Architectural Representation class in the spring of 2007.

How do you feel about being the first student from NC State to win the Kohn Pedersen Fox Fellowship for study abroad?

It is exciting! The list of schools competing is intimidating enough, and I was putting my submittal together during the semester. I hope this encourages other NC State students to apply in the future. I am also thrilled to have feedback from a jury who did not know me or my work because it increases my confidence.

The first thing I did after I found out I had won was call my mother. Without her belief in me, I may not have seriously considered a return to school to make a career change. She had heard of the demands of school over the last three years, so I was glad to call her with good news!

One of the additional benefits of the fellowship that I had not considered when applying is the contacts I’ve made since winning the fellowship. In May, Kohn Pedersen Fox flew me up to N.Y.C. for lunch with four principals of the firm. One, Bill Louie FAIA, joined the firm a year after its founding. Another was Michael Greene AIA, who attended NC State and is the reason NC State students are able to apply for the fellowship. Rob Whitlock AIA was one of this year’s jurors for the fellowship and Jerri Smith AIA has been instrumental in the organization of the fellowship since it started. They were an interesting group of people and I thoroughly enjoyed meeting and talking to them. They also offered lots of anecdotes of their travels and advice that will help to shape my itinerary.

I also had the pleasure of meeting Curt Fentress at the Design Guild Awards Dinner in April, with the suggestion that I consider his firm when I graduate and begin my internship.

Explain the process of receiving the fellowship.

The process was simple and straightforward and the process for applying made it more appealing than other travel fellowships. KPF has basic limitations to the size and number of pages submitted. One additional page is requested that has your name, address, school and a statement about where you would like to travel. Other than that, it is up to the student what projects and how many they show, as well as the overall layout.

They accept three portfolios from every eligible school, and the judging is anonymous. The jury changes from year to year. This year’s jury was composed of Paul Finch, from the Architectural Review; Quingyun Ma, the Dean of USC’s design school, and James Garner, critic for the NY Sun. Two design principals from KPF, Rob Whitlock and Doug Hocking, were also on the jury.

Once the winners are notified, KPF sent a check for 80 percent of the fellowship, with the balance being received once I submit my work from my travel. They encourage travel within one year of receiving the fellowship. I can submit drawings, photos, writing, or whatever I chose to document what I see. At that time I also submit a more detailed reason for my travel, what I learned and so forth.

(KPF also posts the three portfolios of the finalists on their Web site www.kpf.com under In the News & Getting Involved).

How do you feel your educational experience will change (or not) due to receiving the KPF?

I certainly think it will – I hope so. I had originally intended to travel this summer to Italy for a six-week studio through the University of Florida, where the focus would be on inserting new buildings into an old context.

That did not work out, but it seems for the best. I am now planning to go after I graduate in December and I will travel on my own and not be a part of a group, academic or otherwise. I want to look at the larger context of the landscape/history/culture and how it shapes the architecture and the space outside of buildings. Traveling on my own will allow me to be open to unexpected opportunities. Ultimately, I want to integrate what I have learned at State and expand it.

What are your plans for the future?

After graduation, I plan to work in Raleigh until I travel for my fellowship. I want to complete my Intern Development Program requirements and sit for the licensing exam.

Beyond that I’m not sure. I have gotten interested in so many different things while in school. And last year I would not have said that I would be traveling to Europe on my own to look at architecture and urban design. So I am remaining open to the unexpected at the moment.