Even in her youth, Mina Hunter-Baltes was fascinated by design and the built environment. As a child and teen, she pored over books that included maps and loved to play video games like the Sims or Minecraft, which allowed her to create floorplans and living spaces.
“I’ve always loved the art of architecture,” she said.
Yet, after graduating from Henry Sibley (now Two Rivers) High School in Mendota Heights, she didn’t see becoming an architect as a practical career option. It seemed more sensible to follow a STEM path, since that approach had been emphasized all through school. With that in mind, she attended Inver Hills Community College, where she achieved an associates degree in chemistry and biology.
Though she loved biology, and her degree could have led to a medical career, the path forward didn’t excite her.
“I was not going to be happy working in a laboratory, and I didn’t want to go to college for seven more years to become a doctor,” she said. “I realized that your dreams are always worth pursuing.” She began to consider architecture again.
A close friend had a personal connection with Dunwoody and offered some advice.
“Kara works as a high school guidance counselor,” Hunter-Baltes said, so the advice also carried professional weight. Kara’s father and husband had both attended Dunwoody, and she recognized that it might be a good fit for Hunter-Baltes. “She knew my dreams and wanted to see me flourish, so she sent me a link to their architectural program. “
Hunter-Baltes liked what she saw.
“I knew I didn’t want to go to a large college, and after Kara told me about Dunwoody, I knew I had found the right place,” she said.
The hands-on nature of Dunwoody’s Bachelor of Architecture program was appealing.
“I’ve always learned best by doing rather than listening to a lecture. I used to work in my high school’s theater program as a set designer/prop maker, and it was the most fun I have had,” she said.
That experience translated well to one of her favorite design-build experiences at Dunwoody: a 2D fabrication project for the 2023 School of Design Expo.
“It was an exploration of color and light,” she said, inspired by the iridescent colors chosen for that year’s Expo theme. “It was the first time I took a project from conception to execution, and my first time doing installation art and exploring what I can do. It was a challenge, uniquely tedious, but ultimately rewarding.”
The luminous artwork remains on display outside of the Fabrication Lab.
Hunter-Baltes cites her senior thesis project as one of the most rewarding aspects of her college career. Hoping to explore architectural issues around sustainability, reuse, and accessibility, she and three other architecture students were matched to a K-8 school in Chicago that served neurodiverse students.
The school was experiencing space issues in their current location and needed a new facility to better serve their students. Hoping to remain near their present location, they wanted to explore the feasibility of renovating an existing home in their neighborhood. However, the house under consideration was more than 100 years old and would need a lot of work to function as a modern and safe learning environment.
Over the course of the school year, Hunter-Baltes and team did a deep dive into building a case study for the school: researching building codes, reviewing the existing structure of the home, and learning about the needs of the students who would be served there. They would also need to be sensitive to the students design needs, including accessibility and the sensory, tactile nature of building materials that could be used in renovation.
In February, the Dunwoody team went to Chicago to meet the school’s faculty, principal, and students and tour the proposed house. It was a deeply meaningful experience for Hunter-Baltes.
“Being able to travel to Chicago, to meet our client in person, see the site in person, to see that what we’re making affects people, was so insanely powerful for me,” she said.
Architectural firms and related industry representatives will be invited to Dunwoody for the team’s final thesis presentation in May. It will be an important point of contact with local professionals and a chance to garner valuable feedback on the project. Hunter-Baltes and her team will share the final analysis with the Chicago school for use in their proposal.
In recognition of her conscientious work ethic and academic achievement throughout her college career, Hunter-Baltes received a 2025 Academic Excellence Award for the School of Design.
Jessica Ainsworth-Truong, Associate Professor of Interior Design, nominated her for the award.
In her nomination statement, Ainsworth-Truong wrote, “Mina is not only steadfast and dependable in her delivery of assignments but is also a continual surprise of both her background interests and skillset. She brings a fresh lens to her work and demonstrates her own viewpoints beautifully.”
The award was the finishing touch on a five-year college journey (the Dunwoody program begins with the two-year associate’s degree in Architectural Drafting & Design, and culminates with the three-year Bachelor of Architecture degree). And it was confirmation of a long held and deeply felt personal aspiration.
“I’ve always dreamed of getting a bachelor’s, of chasing something down in the pursuit of excellence,” Hunter-Baltes said. “When I committed to Dunwoody, I committed to making it my priority, and I committed to bringing the best version of myself every day to school. This award feels like validation of the choices I made.”
She credits her peers, and the cohort format of the program, as a source of inspiration and encouragement. “Staying with the same people, day in and day out, for five years has been wonderful,” she said. “Knowing I have them to fall back on if I need to workshop ideas, find help with an assignment, or I need to laugh, is truly what got me through these five years.”
In addition to her love of architecture, Hunter-Baltes is a fan of motorsports, and has been introducing friends to the excitement of F1 and MotoGP. She also enjoys art, reading and creative writing.
“I don’t go anywhere without my bullet journal or a notebook to capture my thoughts or sketch something that catches my eye,” she said.
After graduation, she plans to become a licensed architect and get additional training and certifications in sustainable design. She would also like to teach one day.
To someone wondering if a technical college is right for them, Hunter-Baltes said: “It could be life changing. Genuinely. You’ll learn in a way that supports your whole self, and become someone who accomplishes things, not just dreams.”