Tyler Bares
Architecture, ‘18
Buffalo, MN
Tyler Bares always knew he wanted to be an Architect.
“I have always enjoyed looking at homes,” Bares said. “I grew up in the same house for my entire childhood. So I know the impact that ‘home’ has on families.”
Following high school, Bares enrolled at a traditional university — one that offered a Bachelor of Science in Architecture. But just a few days into his first semester, Bares said he quickly discovered it was not the type of education he was looking for.
“I was expecting to learn [things about Architecture] that were not even mentioned,” he explained. “The first class was about the theory of design — it wasn’t what I was ready for. I hardly went to class, and I didn’t enjoy it. At the end of the year I was debating, ‘do I change schools?’ ‘Do I change majors?’ Because I just could not stand it. And that’s when I toured Dunwoody.”
After receiving a tour from Architectural Drafting & Design Senior Instructor Paul Strother, Bares said he was sold.
“All of the projects and the graphics I was seeing — that’s exactly what I wanted,” he said.
Fast-forward 5 years later, Bares not only received his associate’s degree in Architectural Drafting & Design from Dunwoody, but he is also about to earn his Bachelor of Architecture degree later this month.
He is also the 2018 Academic Excellence Award recipient for the Construction Sciences & Building Technology department.
“I’m completely grateful [to receive the award],” Bares said. “It’s really motivating and reassuring that all of the work, and the efforts, and the time I’m putting in — it does pay off.”
It’s also validation that transferring to Dunwoody was the right decision.
“I don’t think you will ever find a class or a group of students that are as close as we are — especially in a large, university setting. When you are friends with someone, you care about them. And in our class, that is very evident. We all want each other to succeed, and we all are willing to help each other out. It has created an atmosphere that has enhanced our education in more ways than we can even think of.”
Following graduation, Bares will begin to work full-time at his current employer, Alliiance, a local architecture firm in Minneapolis. He also has plans to travel to places like Puerto Rico, that need rebuilding help.