The University of Minnesota Scholarship Committee has selected Madeline Portway as the 2023 SPQR Fellow. Madeline is in her second year of the Architecture BDA program. In a letter introducing herself to the other SPQR Fellows, Madeline wrote:
“During quarantine in 2020, I started playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons. It’s a sandbox video game where you can design and build an island for a community of animal villagers. Fast forward to my senior year of high school when I began applying for colleges. I didn’t really know what I wanted to major in, but I knew I needed to have a general idea of what field I wanted to go into to search for the college that was right for me. Going back to my Animal Crossing island, I realized that I wanted to pursue a career where I could design and create spaces with meaning, much like I did for my virtual villagers.
After finishing my freshman year at UMN, I declared a Bachelors of Design in Architecture, and later in my sophomore year, a minor in lighting design. Lighting design interested me because it’s one of the first things I notice when viewing and analyzing architecture in my classes. It really affects the way I feel about and interpret a space. I was also into theater and the performing art as a kid and always wanted to work on the lighting schemes for productions, so adding a minor seemed fitting.
I’m from D.C. and have had the opportunity to travel around the country and internationally. The Design in Sicily program will be the first time I visit Italy, so I’m excited to add it to my list of adventures. I’m truly grateful SPQR has given me the opportunity to visit Rome after my study abroad program ends, I know it will be invaluable. I also can’t wait to explore the daylighting of ancient Roman architecture!”
Madeline’s Essay and Drawings > MPapplication
