Highlighting the Class of 2025: Ollie Freshour, SBE
Ollie Freshour is graduating this month with their Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Built Environments (SBE) with an emphasis in Sustainable Buildings. Learn about their experience and takeaways as an online student.
1. What are your post-graduation plans?
I plan to get my arborist certification and become a climbing arborist, so that I can contribute to habitat restoration projects and the integration of healthy trees into urban environments.
2. How would you describe your time at CAPLA?
I have loved my time at CAPLA. It has helped me learn more about myself, the opportunities that exist in the world and potential career paths.
3. How has CAPLA helped prepare you for your career?
CAPLA has helped with my career by providing numerous resources and helpful professionals to guide me as I explored different avenues.
4. What moments from your time at CAPLA will you always remember?
As a completely online student, I have not had many chances to connect with my peers or the campus. So, in the summer of 2023, I decided to take a trip to Tucson. I took the train from Indiana to Arizona, allowing me to have a slow journey and see several states. I stayed right off campus and spent about a week exploring Tucson and the U of A.
Some of the highlights included meeting peers and professors, seeing the Environment and Natural Resources 2 Building, exploring the Tucson Botanical Garden and walking around a local farmer’s market. I was able to see many of the sites that we highlighted in my studies and experience a different perspective of the city.
5. What faculty or staff helped you achieve your academic goals?
All of the staff that I have met at CAPLA are amazing. One influential professor was Kelly Cedarberg. She was one of the first professors in college that truly challenged me and raised my personal expectations. The work that I completed in her class was exciting and helped me learn more about myself.
Another professor who stood out to me is Sandra Bernal Cardova, who has been my instructor for my capstone project. She has consistently challenged and encouraged me to make the most out of the project and given suggestions and perspectives I would not have thought of.
6. What project are you most proud of?
The project that I am most proud of is a park design I did in “SBE 301: Intro to Design Thinking.” This was a reimagining of a park near me in Elkhart, Indiana, with the goal of making it more sustainable and functional for city residents.
It was an intensive project that demanded planning, observation, design and the creation of a model. In the future, I plan to offer the design to the city as an option for a potential renovation.
SBE 301: Intro to Design Thinking
