Hello!

I'm Lucas (but I think you already knew that). I am student at Michigan State University. I am working on a Bachelors in Landscape Architecture and a Masters in Environmental Design. I really enjoy gardening in my free time as well as painting whenever I can. Art has always been a major part of my life and I don't really think I'm ever happier than when I'm creating.

My Story

     While most seven-year-olds were playing with Legos and riding their bikes, I was starting my first business. For as long as I can remember I have been curious about building a business and because of this spent many hours considering what product I could create that was marketable. I was young so my mom urged me to keep it fun, blending creativity with hard work. It all started when I was in second grade. I put a pop-up coffee and donut shop next to a local event, the Civil War Muster. For me, it was amazing. I have always been a giant history nerd so to be able to enjoy something like a historic reenactment of something and to make a business out of it was incredible.

     As incredible as it was the concept of small business economics was completely foreign to me. Learning how to make my business work could be attributed to three major characteristics: hard work, creativity, and problem solving. But that was me then, a hardworking, creative, problem solver, and that is still me today.

     When I started college at Michigan State, I had taken my interest in design and construction and decided civil engineering would be my best career choice. Unfortunately, I was wrong. As, I progress in my studies I began to feel no satisfaction in my creative side. In addition to this, being exposed to such a vocal campus environment had begun to open my eyes to the severity of larger world problems. Of the many issues I began to learn more about, climate change stuck out to me as one I have a chance to make an impact in.

     Being a student at a school that specializes in fields related to the environment, I had to start researching my options. I began scheduling meetings with people from many fields including environmental engineers, urban planners, horticulturists, and landscape architects. These were fields that I felt like I might be able to make more of a change in and that I would hopefully be happier in. After speaking with most of them they pointed my in the direction of landscape architecture and environmental design.

     Fast forward to today, I am happier than I have been since coming to Michigan State and I have landscape architecture to thank for that. For the first time in years, I enjoy being in school. I enjoy attending class and more than anything, learning has become something to look forward to instead of something that terrifies me.

     Since transitioning into landscape architecture my accomplishments have become more about personal triumphs and milestones rather than shiny awards. One recent milestone I am extremely proud of is breaking ground on my first solo project.

     East Jackson Community Schools enlisted my help to redesign their courtyards. They were in search of a design that allowed for minimum maintenance and low or contained spread ability. After months of meetings with the school’s superintended, maintenance staff, boards, faculty and even a small sample of students the design was finalized, and ground was broke on an oddly warm December 2nd.

     Although, I do hope the advance from this type of work after graduating from Michigan State. I hope to use this degree to work all over the world. When researching this field, I have come across projects happening all over coasts affected by rising seawater. Their goal is to develop subdivisions that can slow coastal erosion by acting as a livable seawall. In these communities, the houses would float on buoyant panels that create the sidewalks of the subdivision. Between the housing rows and the coastline many different regenerative types of vegetation are planted to help protect the coastline.