Julia DiBenedetto

About me

I am a 12th grade student currently studying at West Islip High School. Right now I am working to build my architecture portfolio that I can use to apply for jobs and colleges with. I am currently searching for a college with an architecture program I can excel and improve in. I have been interested in pursuing architecture since I was 11 years old. My dad and I began to design my own family home after it was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, we were left with a clean slate and a big imagination of what we could create for our home. I am hoping to become a licensed architect and one day open my own firm. I want to be able show creativity and spread my ideas to other people. I want to be able to create homes for people to build families and create unforgettable memories.

Education

Throughout my four years of high school I have made it a point to take every class available that can help me in my future career. This was one of the greatest advantages to knowing what I wanted to be before entering high school. Freshman year I enrolled in Design and Drawing for Production which was the prerequisite for all other tech classes, and the alternative to the required art credit. The following year I got to take Architecture, which I was thrilled about. During the year we worked on creating hand drawn floor plans and elevations and learning to use square footage and spaces in the most efficient way. We started to work with AutoCAD Revit for about 2 months, learning the program to the best of our ability, but sadly my year got cut short due to Covid-19. After coming back from quarantine I took AutoCAD and Introduction to trades. AutoCAD helped me learn how to use Inventor to create 3D models and used a CNC Plasma Cutting Machine to cut a logo we drew using Inventor.. This year I was brought into the STEM program to focus solely on architecture, in this class we have focused on wall frames, 3D models and learning how to work with a specific plot of land. I was also put into an Advanced Architecture class that they created this year because there was no class to take after Architecture that followed closely on that interest path.