Imagine Architecture: Parent Interview with Peter Georgopoulos

Watch our Parent interview with Peter Georgopoulos to hear firsthand what children experience and how they grow at Imagine Architecture.

Transcript of the interview

What's unique about the program at Imagine Architecture that made you want to enroll your child there?

The Imagine Architecture program offered a glimpse of what architecture studies might be at Carleton, and so he was interested in design and that, so we thought, you know, why not try this and get an opportunity to see what the program might be like.

Was Imagine Architecture your child's first experience with camp?

Going back to his experience with the mini enrichment, I think he got a little bit of a taste of it at that time. And then, obviously, it's been a few years since grade 8. He did it in the summer from grade 10 to grade 11. So he obviously had some other ideas of what he might want to do. And so definitely, it was sort of a build-on to what he had seen previously.

Was there any change or noticeable personal growth you saw in your child after time at Imagine Architecture camp?

I definitely found he had a little bit more focus in terms of, you know, okay, well, I get it, I need to take a few courses like this, and it's to prepare me to go to university, and when I get there I have an idea of what I might be studying. So definitely, it gave him a little bit of focus.

Once you get some information, then it also helps you be more comfortable with what your decision is going to be. So I think he's feeling positive about either architecture or potentially industrial design as well, which is another great program that Carleton has as well.

If you hadn't sent your child to Imagine Architecture, what's the most important personal growth that they would've missed out on?

It's one thing to think you want to do something and to be told it's a good idea or you should do this, and it's another thing to actually have an experience. And so for a young adult to actually have that experience, that university type of experience at a younger age, I think it really provides a framework for a decision that they can make for the future.

How can a parent support their child to get the most out of Imagine Architecture?

As a parent, we want our kids to be exposed to as many opportunities as possible, and so I feel encouraging your son or daughter to take advantage of opportunities where you can learn a little bit more about different areas of study or careers is definitely something that, as a parent, I think you want to encourage your child to do.

What does your child say about Imagine Architecture, either to you, or that you may have heard them say to friends or others?

He found that designing floor plans and then having to actually make a model of it, and just the experience of having the instruction by current students or recently graduated students, I think, is a good way to have someone feel, okay, they're in it now and I understand what they're going through, and it gives it a good spin in terms of encouraging you to see how it could be in a few years from now.

Any final thoughts on Imagine Architecture?

Imagine Architecture gave my son a little bit of focus in terms of thinking about what he wants to pursue as his post-secondary education. I did notice that it gave him a little bit of something to look forward to in terms of his university education going forward.

He's actually keen on continuing with the next lab, the 102, which is a continuation of the one he took last summer. So I think it was a positive experience and definitely something that I would encourage any student that was interested in design or architecture to pursue.