Elyse is from Littleton, Colorado. She worked in the front office as a Peer Advisor. Last spring, she defended her Honors Thesis - Designing an Immersive World: Exploring Theme Parks through Hayao Miyazaki's Spirited Away.
Where are you from?
I was born in China and then I was adopted at seven months old. My mom and I live in Littleton, Colorado so, I’m not too far from here.
What year of study are you in?
I’m a senior in Environmental Design and I’m specializing in Design Studies.
Why did you choose to come to CU Boulder?
I knew I wanted to stay in-state, just because I’m really close to my family and I didn’t want to make that big of a jump just out of high school. When it came to expenses, it was also a lot more costly to go out of state. So, when I was looking at some of the larger schools, Colorado State University and the University of Colorado obviously jump out at me. CSU didn’t have any sort of design program that I was interested in, and I ended up visiting ENVD when I was researching CU. It seemed pretty open-option for a major, with architecture and landscape architecture for people who are searching, and that’s where I felt like I was. So, I thought it would be a good fit for me to test it out and see if it was what I wanted to do. I did a tour and fell in love with CU campus, because it’s really pretty with the Flatirons. All of that led me to ENVD.
Why were your drawn to the Program in Environmental Design (ENVD)?
There were so many options in the different tracks you could choose within the major, like design studies, which I’m in - that's what really interested me the most. I was like, “oh that’s cool they have this separate option,” it wasn’t that you have to do architecture and only get an architecture degree. CU Denver had architecture, but I wasn’t quite sure that’s what I wanted to do. I knew I wanted to do design and ENVD seemed like the best opportunity for that.
I went to a CU event and talked to advisors. I could tell by the vibe that it was where I wanted to be. I remember there was a sticky note board that asked “what do you want to do after you graduate?” Just seeing the different array of what people wanted to do, there were lots of options, and I felt like the people here could let me experiment with that and get me to where I want to go.
How do you stay involved on campus? 
I’m involved in a lot of ENVD related stuff, just because I love the community. I’m the president of the Environmental Design Student Government (EDSG). I have an on campus job as the Peer Advisor coordinator for ENVD, and I used to be a peer leader for a section of the ENVD 1004 class.
I’m also involved with scholarships through Designers Without Boundaries, and we do a lot of different volunteer community activities as well as group bonding. I also volunteer for the Peer Mentor Program. Since my sophomore year I’ve had a freshmen or two that I mentor. It’s been really fun.
When I was a freshman and sophomore I was involved in CRU, which is Campus Crusade for Christ. It’s a christian ministry on campus. I really enjoyed it and found a lot of my friends through that. I have friends at ENVD but it was a different atmosphere.
What do you like to do in your spare time, outside of the classroom?
I really enjoy hanging with my friends and my fiance, which is such the typical answer. I like listening to music and I like singing, and when I can I like going to plays and musicals. I wish I could be more involved in choirs. It was more of my hobby in high school and it’s kind of hard to find it in the adult world, except for on campus, but then it’s a class.
I like doing workout classes more than just working out by myself. I like playing frisbee golf as well as just frisbee. I love to read, but I don’t have time to read during school, and a lot of the stuff I like to do is more of me sitting there and browsing the internet or watching a TV show to just decompress. A lot of my friends and I like to play board games and do big group outings and things like that.
Talk to me a little about your Honors Thesis?
It’s been an interesting challenge.
Is it a semester long thing?
It’s a year long thing. You start in the fall and it goes through the spring. You apply in the spring before you want to do your thesis, and during the summer you work on preparing for the fall. Then you take a class with Georgia Lindsay, she’s the honors council representative for ENVD, and it’s a really good class and everyone has a different project and it can either be design related, or it can be more research based. My idea definitely changed around a lot from the summer to when I actually started working on it. Georgia has been really helpful at narrowing it down for me and providing insight on how to make it successful.
What is your topic?
I’ve been interested in space design and theme park design overall. I decided to look at an immersive theme park design, which arguably all theme parks are immersive, but for me it is without the ride aspect. I wanted to really focus on what would make this an enjoyable experience exclusive of the rides, because I think many parts of theme parks are enjoyable, not just the roller coasters, etc.. So, I'm focusing on just the atmosphere aspect, especially since roller coasters are more of an engineering thing.
It’s been a challenge because I'm dealing with writing and design and a completely different way of thinking with a lot to get done. This semester, we defend in April and finish it off with the Honors Symposium.
What do you want to do after you graduate?
During my time at CU I’ve learned a lot about what I like and dislike in design, what I want out of a work environment and that sort of thing, so I’m kind of torn between two different options right now. My design-oriented option involves Meow Wolf, which is in Santa Fe and is adding another location in Denver. I would really love to work for them. It’s kind of like my dream job. They do a lot of interactive, immersive art installations and I’ve always loved immersive spaces and hands-on design, and more of the creative, fun, fantastical design. So, that’s what I really want to do. I think it’s definitely been a challenge for me with some of the things that I’ve done here to show that I’m eligible to work there, so it’s one of the things I’ve been looking into. I do feel like I kind of have a niche field that I specifically want to go into for my career.
Another thing that I’ve learned, through the jobs I’ve had in college, is that I actually like administrative work and working with college students, organizing and coordinating event. I love being down in the front office so, I’m also interested in campus, university jobs. Something along those lines. Or advising, even though I didn’t get an education degree. I just really enjoy the different roles, working on programmatic elements, and designing events as well as working with students and supervising. I like that type of atmosphere too, so I’m kind of split right now.
What advice would you give to underclassmen and future students?
For ENVD students, I think really finding what it is you’re passionate about is important. If your passion is design and you are having trouble finding it—freshman year is can be rough at first—just persevere. Find some upperclassmen mentors that can show you the ropes in ENVD and how it works, especially as you get into your high-level classes.
Faculty, staff and upperclassmen are here to help you succeed and the advisors are great at helping you figure out what you want to do in the realm of design. They are here for you and they’ll help you find internships and jobs, even if it doesn’t seem like a direct path. If your path is less direct, ENVD can still be a good fit for you, but you have to decide how to make the best use of your time here.
For students in general, this coming from my past mistakes, I’d say definitely get involved but leave time to not become an overstressed human being. I think freshman year is one of the most exciting years of college, because there’s just so much to do. There’s an endless number of opportunities and nobody is telling you can or cannot do all tof hese different things. Get involved with different activities, whether it’s in clubs within your major or outside. I think a lot of people make friends that way.
Definitely try not to take things for granted. I do more as a senior than I did as a freshman. It’s been such a privilege to come to a really good university and have such esteemed professors teaching our classes, even when you’re tired and don’t want to go. Just know that you’re actually learning something important and always working towards your goals.