Cameron Ringness '09

About Cameron

Hometown:
Cleveland, OH

University Partner:
University of Virginia

Degree:
Architecture

Grant Partner:
Reed Hilderbrand

Senior Mentor:
Gary Hilderbrand, Principal

"Steamboat has opened doors I never believed existed, or were at all feasible for someone my age. I now have the experience and personal connections only given to select graduate students within my field of study. But most importantly, I am inspired to channel my goals to encompass both architecture and landscape architecture, social justice and disability rights in its relation to buildings, and have higher standards, in general, for the work that I hope to someday produce."

Scholar Background

After graduating in the top 1% of her high school class as an All American Academic Athlete, an All State swimmer, and foremost a passionate artist and chemist, Cameron ventured to the University of Virginia School of Architecture to educate both the left and right sides of her brain. Cameron quickly became recognized for her unique mixture of a self-made painterly personality with the pragmatism of architecture. She has been awarded intermediate honors within her class, was selected for numerous school exhibitions, including the 2009 NAAB Accreditation Exhibit, and has sold her drawings and photography in art auctions to raise money for both the graduate publication Lunch and the sustainable, low-income housing, design-build project, ecoMOD. She collaborated with the graduate design program, The Learning Barge, by painting large panels to be displayed on the barge permanently. She has campaigned for Senator Jim Webb, is an active member of Amnesty International, and volunteers at a local nursing home. Cameron seeks to use architecture as a vehicle to affect change, socially and politically.

Internship Highlight

The first Steamboat Scholar at Reed Hilderbrand, Cameron worked independently on a variety of projects, including contributing to ongoing designs in the office and conducting research that was unique to her internship. For this research, Cameron developed a comprehensive bibliography for a studio class that Gary Hilderbrand was going to teach at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. The most rewarding part of the summer for Cameron came from the influx of inspiration and ideas, born out of interaction with the other Scholars. In particular, one Scholar’s dedication to a single and invaluable cause now shapes Cameron's goals. Cameron developed a better understanding of how she can use that same devotion in her field. This interaction did not just highlight Cameron’s experience, it changed her.