Laura Tagliannetti
Laura Tagliannetti
Design is in Laura Tagliannetti’s blood. Her great-grandfather was an architect in Italy, and as a child, rather than reading comic strips, Laura flipped straight to the floor plans in the home decorating magazines. She came to Norwich University because she wanted to study architecture within a rural community setting. “[Attending Norwich] developed an appreciation of small town communities and the culture of Vermont. I love the idea of these valleys and developed communities within the valleys, and it’s a comfortable place. It’s given me the chance to grow, because I’m comfortable here.”
Part of that comfort level is Laura’s close relationship with her fellow architecture students. “We've been going to school together for five years, and we share a passion for what we’re doing. They say that being an architecture student is the next closest thing to rook brothers and sisters [cadets who form strong bonds during training their freshman year]. We’re all very close. We share a passion for what we’re doing, and we spend a lot of time together."”
[The Norwich experience] has been a lot richer than I thought it was going to be. You can’t really know what school’s going to be like. You just try to make the right decision for yourself and hope for the best. I’m glad I came.
~ Laura Tagliannetti
Laura speaks warmly about the faculty, as well. “I have great relationships with all of them. Ever since freshman year, it’s been: if the door’s open, you’re more than welcome to come in and ask a question, even if you don’t have that individual as a professor. People used to say it’s like a family, and it really is. They’re all very approachable; they’re all very knowledgeable, and they make the learning process enjoyable.”
That process is quite different than anything Laura knew in high school. “With the architecture program, there is no right answer, so everyone takes a different path. In that sense, it’s a little more difficult, because you can’t really follow along with your peers. It’s more of an individual discovery. And what’s a little more difficult is that all of the classes you’re taking connect. What you learn in active building systems or materials or passives, you need to bring back to studio.
“I think the classes here push you a lot harder. And there’s a great sense of gratification that comes from that, because it’s a strong push, but the end result is, you surprise yourself.”
Laura surprised herself by leaving her comfort zone in her third year to study abroad in Europe. She “fell in love” with the experience, with going to a new and different place and acclimating to the culture there. The young student who wasn’t ready for the big city in her freshman year is now confident enough in herself to embrace change as a way of life. “One thing I’ll always be happy with is the fact that, with an architectural background, you can do almost anything, because it’s your creative side that’s been developed. You can design furniture; you can design skyscrapers; you can be a creative writer; you can become a photographer…. I really don't know where I’m going to be in ten years. Wherever the wind takes me.”
“[The Norwich experience] has been a lot richer than I thought it was going to be. You can’t really know what school’s going to be like. You just try to make the right decision for yourself and hope for the best. I’m glad I came.”
