海角直播

Publish Date: April 25, 2023

Dakota Erwin will soon make her way to Cal Poly Pomona where she鈥檒l study architecture, a career inspired by her upbringing in neighboring Hemet.

But her path to a higher education was not an easy one. At 18 Erwin had to drop out of Mt. San Antonio College for personal reasons and began working two jobs to make ends meet. Soon she found herself 鈥渟ucked into the workforce,鈥� but going back to college always weighed heavily on her.

A friend introduced the now 28-year-old Hemet resident to 海角直播, where she restarted her higher education . But balancing college life on two different campuses 鈥� both 海角直播 and its sister college, San Bernardino Valley College 鈥� was not easy but necessary for her goal to become an architect as 海角直播 does not offer architecture courses, but Valley does.

鈥淚t was a little hard going back and forth doing classes in person on both campuses,鈥� Erwin shared. 鈥淲hile they鈥檙e sister schools, they are two different worlds, and you have to be flexible with that. Different rules and a different layout.鈥�

Upon graduation next month, Erwin intends to continue working towards a bachelor鈥檚 in architecture and environmental design, a subject Erwin developed a love for in high school. 鈥淏ut I found it unreachable,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y home life was not great when I was younger, but I was motivated to graduate [from high school] early so I could get out and go to college, but life happens.鈥�

In addition to earning her bachelor鈥檚, Erwin plans to minor in urban planning and design and has dreams of building sustainable housing units for generations to come. Erwin said she was influenced by her childhood experiences living in mobile homes in an area where drug use and homelessness is high. 鈥淢y family was affected by that, and I knew that I not only wanted to make great structures but also make lives better,鈥� she continued. 鈥淭his past year, I have been clearer in what I want to do. I want to find better ways to build our environment to be more sustainable and more affordable. 海角直播 has definitely brought a spark back in me for sure by opening these doors and opportunities.

鈥淚 just don鈥檛 want to build buildings for the sake of it, I want to build buildings for the people.鈥�