Not all study abroad opportunities take students overseas or across the country.

Miami University’s summer design build studio is one such program. For six weeks, 15 Miami students worked on five projects, all to benefit the Peaslee Neighborhood Center in Over-the-Rhine.

From renovating office space to installing new conference room lighting and developing an outdoor classroom, participants in the studio helped rejuvenate the center, which started life as Peaslee Elementary School before finding a new purpose as a community center in 1984. Projects included:

• Two groups developing outdoor classroom proposals, which were sent out as grant applications and generated $25,000 for Peaslee; 
• Rebuilding the work room kitchenette;
• Rejuvenation of an upper floor classroom as a new shared conference room, with a custom conference table fabricated by students, as well as shelving units along the north window wall and a kitchenette/coffee bar;
• Also, a student team built a louvered wall system to contain a new office for one of Peaslee's founders. 
  

Upgrading the facility was a fitting project for the center’s 40th anniversary, said John Blake, the director of Miami’s Center for Community Engagement and a professor in the Department of Architecture and Interior Design.

“We’ve long made the case that it’s exceptional that Miami has programs abroad. It’s a major hallmark for the university,” Blake said. “Some of the advantages of traveling abroad can also be found in nearby neighborhoods. Being immersed in it makes for a rich experience.”

Students who participated included Mack Cummings, Elsie Dalinghaus, Julia Dotson, Liz Gonzalez, Brianna Hickok, Catherine Keefe, Camryn Lansdell, Agbeyenu Madison, Garret May, Rob McBride, Sara Noall, Hailey Pearson, Brigitte Reynolds, Taelor Uehlin, and Ava Wetzel.

The opportunity to join the summer design build studio was part of what drew Hickok to Miami University. Growing up in Westerville, Ohio, Hickok, now a third-year Architecture major, worked alongside her grandparents to renovate houses.

Hearing about a program that provided a similar experience, only on a larger scale, was intriguing.

“At the time I wasn’t sure where I wanted to go after I received my degree, and this program helped me find a direction,” Hickok said.

“When I look back on those six weeks, I can see how I’ve grown as a person. I’ve become more confident in expressing my opinions and making myself heard. … In the end, I can say that the six weeks I spent working in Over-the-Rhine are some of my best memories from college.”

Hickok gravitated toward the group’s kitchenette project. Since the original kitchenette was built to accommodate children, the counters and cabinets were low, with wood that was old and warping and doors that wouldn’t close.

The job for Hickok’s team was to redesign the kitchenette for additional storage with raised cabinets and countertops.

“It was a joy, though in the beginning I was nervous,” Hickok said. “Just a week after coming home from finals, I moved into an apartment with three others, all of whom I didn’t know well. It was a different city, too. But I’m happy to say we all became fast friends, and when we weren’t ‘at work’ as I call it, we would often explore the city, going to restaurants, the community pool, the stores, etc.”

Part of the project was to be involved in the community of Over-the-Rhine. The center held a weekly class for studio members where they could reflect, wind down, and talk about the project and the history of the community together.

“A lot got done in a short amount of time for people who will appreciate it for years,” Blake said. “That’s the primary thing.”

Peaslee recently awarded Blake the Bonnie Neumeier Movement-Builder Award during the center’s annual banquet, though Blake was quick to shift attention to members of the studio and Miami.

“That award is not mine. It’s for the university and the students who do the work,” Blake said. “The students bring all these design ideas, energy, a good sense of humor, and a willingness to try.”

Hickok described the project as a “very learning experience, in all aspects,” which included designing to a client’s needs, presenting designs to a client, working through a realistic construction schedule, and collaborating with professional electricians and plumbers.

“I love working with my hands and actually building something I designed for the people I designed it for,” Hickok said. “I loved that I was able to immerse myself in the community and, above all, I’m grateful for the friends I made while there.”