Explaining the roots of her interest in architecture, Caroline Albrecht, a member of the class of 2025 at Connelly School of the Holy Child in Potomac, Maryland, said, “Since I was a kid, I was always interested in design games, LEGOs and building things.”
Her first LEGO set was a house. “I loved the creativity aspect,” she said.
After her sophomore year at Holy Child, during the school’s experiential learning experience, she got to listen to a presentation by CGS Architects, a firm in Washington’s Georgetown neighborhood. The next summer, she did an internship there.
During Albrecht’s internship, she got to see how computer modeling works and visit construction sites in the area, including at Holy Child, where the firm was renovating classrooms, flooring and windows in the main school building. That experience, she said, introduced her to what it would be like to work as an architect and sparked her interest in commercial architecture, which includes designing projects like schools, restaurants and recreational facilities.
“I like the idea of creating spaces that serve a broader community of people,” she said.
This fall, Albrecht will be studying at the University of Virginia’s School of Architecture, at a university famous for its initial architectural design by Thomas Jefferson, who also designed his historic Monticello home.
The Holy Child senior is the daughter of Jennifer and Wesley Albrecht and has a younger sister, Elizabeth, who is a 10th grader at the all-girls’ Catholic high school sponsored by the Society of the Holy Child Jesus.
At her school, Albrecht was a member of the National Honor Society, and her favorite classes there included art and Advanced Placement Spanish. Albrecht played forward and was the captain on Holy Child’s soccer team this past season, after having played that sport during all four of her years there.
Albrecht’s community service as a Holy Child student included volunteering with the Upcounty Hub in Germantown, helping to box and deliver food to people in need. “They were very grateful… I enjoyed getting to meet new people and help them,” she said.
She also joined fellow students in participating in the Best Buddies program that promotes friendship with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and she volunteered at activities sponsored by Potomac Community Resources, a local organization that promotes the participation of persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities in all aspects of community life.
Those experiences, Albrecht said, showed the importance of “treating others with the respect and dignity they deserve. They (the people in those programs) all have unique personalities.”
As Connelly School of the Holy Child’s June 6 graduation approached, Albrecht expressed appreciation for her school experience, saying, “I think Holy Child has helped me become more confident in who I am, and I think that going to a Catholic school has put more attention on my growth as a person in all areas.”
Albrecht, who gave presentations to Holy Child’s Board of Directors and in front of the whole student body several times as a member of the school’s Student Mission Effectiveness Council, said, “I feel I’m more confident and willing to put myself out there” now.
The student wore a University of Virginia hoodie and smiled as she reflected on starting to build her academic future and career at the School of Architecture there. “I’m excited to learn,” she said.
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