Chris Bourne

Chris Bourne first became interested in architecture by putting LEGO pieces together as a child. As he grew up, he never lost that interest and expanded on it by putting parts of his car together. When it came time to enroll in college, architectural engineering was the obvious choice.

"Architecture allows you to see the members and components that come together to make a building," Bourne said. "This field allowed me to use my skills in being able to visually see a 3D building with only 2D drawings. Going through the process of piecing the details in the drawing together aligns with my passion."

Bourne chose Delaware Tech because he felt it was an economical way to start working toward his ultimate goals of a bachelor's and a master's degree in architecture.

"The classes for the most part were easy to do," Bourne said. "What made things difficult was working full time while taking classes. I had to cut down from three to two classes per semester."

While that change in schedule pushed back his graduation date, Bourne remained undeterred and never gave up on graduating.

"I was striving to become an architect," Bourne said. "I knew that it would take a while, but each step made would bring me closer."

Once he graduates, Bourne plans to transfer to a four-year college that has an accredited architectural program. He said walking across the stage at graduation will make all of the hard work feel worth it.

"The time, energy, and effort put in has finally made the difference in my journey," he said.

Bourne credited his advisor Steve Cannon for helping him get through the program through scheduling his classes around his work schedule and making sure he was able to transfer credits from college courses he previously completed.