LEGEND Mike Vela, AIA, CDT, LEED AP INTERVIEWED BY FRAN PRUYN, CPSM As part of our ongoing series of interviews with architectural legends, we are proud to present this interview with Mike Vela, AIA, CDT, LEED AP. We spoke about his lengthy career in architecture and the projects he’s most proud of. We hope you enjoy learning more about Mike as much as we did. This interview has been edited for length and clarity. When did you decide to become an architect? It was right at the beginning of my second year at the University of Texas. After grade school, I got a scholarship to a military high school in San Antonio, then won a scholarship to the University of Texas. I just fell in love with Austin; it was always where I wanted to go to school. It’s in the hill country and it’s quite beautiful. I learned later that it was a Paul Philippe Cret master-planned design. I had taken only basic classes that first year. I had placed out of 21 hours, so I had an extra slot on my calendar. I took an architectural history class, and it was quite fascinating. I’d always loved to draw. It just seemed to be a natural extension. When I graduated in 1975, I knew that I wanted to teach — maybe not full-time, but as part of the profession — so I then went to the University of Texas at Arlington. I earned a master’s degree in 1978. That master’s 6 REFLEXION
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