He glances at his phone and sees a reminder about an architecture meeting he must attend with his mentor. He rushes home to shower and get dressed, calling himself an Uber to drive him out to Arlington in time for the meeting. With his mentor, Richard Hyuee, beside him, they step into a room full of ideas.

Senior Jagger Odom is an apprentice to an architect and works hard to accomplish his dream of becoming a retail architect himself who designs buildings such as malls and restaurants. As a child, Odom played with his toys like any other kid, but he took a liking to Legos in particular early on.

“I first started dabbling into architecture when I was about 6 years old and I got my first Lego set, which is how most architects start,” Odom said. “I didn’t follow the instructions, I made my own designs and I’ve been doing that ever since.”

Odom accidentally stumbled upon the profession when talking to his uncle, who gave Odom the nudge needed to pursue the career.

“When I showed him my designs, he said ‘You’d be a great architect,’” Odom said. “I asked him what that is and he [explained it to] me.”

To learn more about architecture, Odom joined the Technology Student Association (TSA) club. He competes in the architecture portion of the club specifically, alongside longtime friend senior Loralyn Sanders. She has seen his passion and love for the subject.

“[Odom] is a really hard worker,” Sanders said. “He has a lot of creativity that allows him to come up with new ideas and solutions.”

The hard work Odom puts in hasn’t gone unnoticed. TSA club adviser Mark Jones has seen how dedicated and enthusiastic he is about gaining more knowledge about architecture.

“I think he has potential to become an architect,” Jones said. “He seems to have the drive and in my experience, any student that wants to be something and puts in the effort for it can do it.” 

His efforts now will assist him greatly in the future. He has the support of his friends and family to help keep him going. With plans of attending UT Arlington and studying architecture, he paves a path toward a bright future.

“My favorite aspect [of architecture] would have to be the freedom of it,” Odom said. “You can come up with any type of design, any shape or form; I can do it.”