FOURTH YEAR UNDERGRADUATE
Aanya Amin—Irena K. Orlowski Travel Award
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Aanya Amin—Irena K. Orlowski Travel Award
About the Award
Irena K. Orlowski Travel Award:
Provides support to a student in 2nd, 3rd or 4th year, and is based on academic achievement and a contribution and involvement in university life and bettering the world around them.
As a fourth-year Architectural Science student at Toronto Metropolitan University, I have devoted my studies to understanding how public space can foster dialogue between cultures and communities. Both in my academic work and leadership roles within the Department of Architectural Science, I have grown passionate about how cities can tell layered, inclusive stories about who we are and who we aspire to be. Anaïs Nin once wrote, “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” These words remind me that perspective shapes experience, and they capture why I am eager to study abroad for a semester at the Technical University of Munich. Immersing myself in a new cultural and academic environment is more than an educational opportunity; it is a chance to step outside habitual ways of seeing and to return with a redefined sense of how design can serve communities that I will take to my postgraduate studies. The architectural education at Munich, particularly its integration of sustainability and technology, will further my capability to approach design as both socially responsive and environmentally conscious.Receiving this award has made it possible for me to pursue this exchange and fully dedicate myself to the opportunities it offers. My exchange to Munich will sharpen my ability to connect global lessons with local challenges. It marks the next step in becoming an architect who designs with broader vision and a deeper purpose.
One of the greatest avenues for this growth lies in travel. It allows us to step outside our immediate context, witness firsthand the application of architectural principles across cultures, and immerse ourselves in environments that differ from our own. This belief fuels my commitment to continuous learning and growth as I approach graduation and look toward the future.
Irena K. Orlowski Travel Award:
Provides support to a student in 2nd, 3rd or 4th year, and is based on academic achievement and a contribution and involvement in university life and bettering the world around them.
As a fourth-year Architectural Science student at Toronto Metropolitan University, I have devoted my studies to understanding how public space can foster dialogue between cultures and communities. Both in my academic work and leadership roles within the Department of Architectural Science, I have grown passionate about how cities can tell layered, inclusive stories about who we are and who we aspire to be. Anaïs Nin once wrote, “We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are.” These words remind me that perspective shapes experience, and they capture why I am eager to study abroad for a semester at the Technical University of Munich. Immersing myself in a new cultural and academic environment is more than an educational opportunity; it is a chance to step outside habitual ways of seeing and to return with a redefined sense of how design can serve communities that I will take to my postgraduate studies. The architectural education at Munich, particularly its integration of sustainability and technology, will further my capability to approach design as both socially responsive and environmentally conscious.Receiving this award has made it possible for me to pursue this exchange and fully dedicate myself to the opportunities it offers. My exchange to Munich will sharpen my ability to connect global lessons with local challenges. It marks the next step in becoming an architect who designs with broader vision and a deeper purpose.
One of the greatest avenues for this growth lies in travel. It allows us to step outside our immediate context, witness firsthand the application of architectural principles across cultures, and immerse ourselves in environments that differ from our own. This belief fuels my commitment to continuous learning and growth as I approach graduation and look toward the future.
