Weber State building design program inspires redesign of grad’s future

OGDEN, Utah — When Abigail Trejo began looking into Weber State University’s Building Design & Construction program, she didn’t realize she already had a special connection to it.

In 2019, Trejo and her family were recipients of a home built by Habitat for Humanity of Weber and Davis Counties — a home that students and faculty from Weber State’s construction program had spent the last year working on. 

“I didn't know that they were working on it,” she said. “I didn’t know that I was going into a program that does similar projects, so it's pretty cool.”

Though it took time for her to settle on a major at Weber State, building design turned out to be right up her alley. As a child, she loved drawing up floor plans for houses. 

“My family comes from a very poor background. We started off with a trailer home and I remember drawing the footprint of our home and drawing everyone's room,” she said. “I’ve always been a very visual learner.”

She’s enjoyed the hands-on aspect of building design and watching projects come to life outside the classroom. As part of her senior project, she’s working on a redesign of the Youth Futures shelter in Ogden and recently created a 3D rendering of the building. 

“You're learning so much as you go and I feel like it's never-ending,” she said. “I really liked that, because I like challenging myself.”

Trejo has discovered how much she enjoys remodeling projects, taking old floor plans and coming up with fresh uses for the space. 

“I like to make it as simple as possible, creating a blank canvas so that the owner can project their ideas onto what I’m trying to achieve,” she said. “It’s working together to make one piece.”

As a first-generation student, Trejo wasn’t always sure if college was the right choice for her. Now, she has two associate’s degrees under her belt and will graduate with her bachelor’s this month. 

“Weber was just my stepping stone. I didn’t know if I was going to stay here or not, or if I was going to find what I was looking for,” she said. “But fortunately, I did.”

Author:

Jessica Kokesh, Marketing & Communications 
801-626-7316, jessicakokesh@weber.edu

Contact:

Bryan Magaña, public relations director
801-626-7948, bryanmagana@weber.edu