University of Illinois | 150 Years & Beyond

Have a goal. Put In the work. Be persistent. Learn your craft.

Be responsible. Be ready to fail — so fail fast. Motivate yourself. Never allow anyone say you are incompetent.

And last but not least: If you can dream it , you can do it.

These are just a few of the life lessons Nigerian immigrant Timothy Uzoigwe learned while pursuing his master’s of architecture at Illinois.

“Anywhere I find myself today, tomorrow and in the future,” the Gensler technical designer says from Houston, “I owe a huge percentage to Illinois School of Architecture and my amazing professors.”

To name a few:

— Randy Deutsch. “His intelligent knowledge base was a great asset for me while in grad school — from encouragement and support to increasing my view range about building technology in design.”

— Kathryn Anthony. “An exceptional professor, her interpersonal relationship with every student she taught was a lesson to learn on its own. Her personal experiences stuck with me in ways beyond academic architecture could teach. She taught me user needs and experience of space.”

— Carl Lewis. “He pushed my imaginative thinking and creativity to the next level by always encouraging me to think different and outside the box.

“I am extremely grateful for having them guide me in my path to a brighter future.”