When did you decide to become an architect? I was a senior in high school. The only architect I knew as a kid was Bob Brady from The Brady Bunch. I didn’t really know what architects did, but, looking back, from the time I was little, I was redesigning every room I was in in my head. Originally, I thought of doing interior design, but then I was exposed to the School of Architecture at the University of Utah. I thought, “Why wouldn’t I want to design the whole thing?” Tell us about that educational experience. I went to the University of Utah after 12 years of catholic school. I had an “Honors at Entrance” scholarship to the U. My parents thought that it was nice for me to go for free. Of course, everybody wants to go away to school, but my option was to go to the U. In those days, there was no four plus two program; you had to get a Master of Architecture, and it was a three-year master’s program. I spent seven years and got both my degrees there. Then, in 1990, I graduated from school during the worst recession we had seen in many years. There were no jobs. I asked many of the architects that I had come in contact with during my education if I could interview with them. Several were very nice; they were not hiring, but said I could come in for an interview. Meanwhile, I looked at the help-wanted ads in the newspaper. About two or three weeks after I graduated, there was an ad for an architect (which I wasn’t, of course). I applied and got an interview. It was Valentiner Architects, and they had never hired an intern before, so they weren’t sure if that was a good idea. There were 23 people there at the time. After about three weeks, I got an offer. I went there and they have treated me very well throughout my career. Niels Valentiner, the founder of the company, was completely interested in hiring anybody who was good. He didn’t care if they were an immigrant or a woman. I never had to ask for a promotion or a raise or anything. Within about 10 years, I was asked to be a partner. Once you’re asked to be a partner, you’re there, and I’ve been there 35 years. What was your focus? It’s really interesting to think back about what my focus might have been. I had worked for Brixen and Christopher one summer and as a structural engineer the summer before. I guess I didn’t really know. In school, you do a variety of design projects. I got to Valentiner, and they didn’t have a lot of work either. One of my first assignments was to make a plastic model of One Utah Center. I hated making models, but I did it. Then I worked with whoever had a job at the firm. I worked on the Jordan School District and the Alpine School District prototypes. I worked on Northridge High School as a first-year drafter. Now we have employees who went there, which is hilarious. I worked on the Murray Ice Sheet, which is now called County Ice Center. I worked on the West Valley City Recreation Center. I worked on whatever there was, but I always loved schools and got along very well with the two partners in the office who did schools: Boyd McAllister, AIA, and Steve Crane, FAIA. They gave me a lot of opportunities. I also love libraries because I’ve always loved to read books, so I worked on the Salt Lake City Public Library, which was a life-changing experience. I got to know Moshe Safdie, FAIA. He’s an amazing human, a wonderful teacher and a wonderful architect. By the time I finished that project, I was never afraid to detail anything, which is fun because, in school, they don’t teach you how to detail. What did you learn in school? Architectural history. That was my favorite class — the thing I did the best in. It was the first time I had a history class that was worth anything. It’s super ironic that I ended up designing schools because I literally hated school. I hated every minute of school from first grade through my master’s. It was super boring. My mother taught me to take a book and put it on my lap under the desk and read because I was so bored. I did like geometry. That, I guess, is a telling sign. I liked English a lot. I originally thought that I might get an English degree, and then I thought, “I don’t know what to do with that.” Uintah School District Central Cove Early Learning Center 11
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