hey everyone welcome back to the channel my name is Ashley and i'm an architect in Ontario and as
you can tell i'm in a different setup today i'm actually in my living room and usually we film
behind the curtain here but today we're going to try something new and something different
and so if you like this setup let me know down below if you do like this setup
now in this video i'm gonna be reacting to getting my license mailed now as you
know i'm an architect now for a few months and i've been waiting to get my actual printed out
license for a while and it's arrived it's been a few days i've already opened up the envelope and
i removed the license from the envelope and i'm gonna be opening it up with you and we could look
at it together so perhaps you're in the process of getting licensed and you're probably looking
forward to this moment and so you're going to be able to see what it's like um in this video as
you know i'm registered with the OAA the Ontario association of architects and i'm so excited to
share this experience with you so if you're interested let's get started
so here we are with the license and it came in a big white envelope made out of cardboard i
removed i'm not showing the envelope just because there was a lot of personal information on it but
otherwise i've already opened this portion just to conceal some of my personal information before i
put this video on the internet but otherwise here it is and the license is wrapped in tissue paper
and so let's go ahead and open it on either side and then open it this way
and then this way oh my goodness wow look at this hopefully this is coming across on the video there
so you have a letter it comes with a letter from the president at OAA and the letter is
dated may 26th so i'm only getting this now in June middle of June so here's the letter
and oh my goodness i hope you can see this oh my goodness here's the license it's beautiful
honestly it's so surreal just to see my name on it this is certified to Ashley Eusebio is an
architect licensed by the Ontario association of architect it's so surreal and it's signed by the
president at OAA and the register at OAA it's super exciting and as maybe some of you don't
know this but the OAA had a competition for the logos and so as a result because i'm getting
license only now which i guess in a way was kind of nice because i really do love the OAA
new logo design so i'm actually really happy that i got licensed when i did
because the logo is beautiful i love how simple it is and so you have the o for Ontario and then
A A for Ontario association of architects i really love the logo this looks so sharp
i have to say this is so surreal and i'm gonna of course frame this um once i'm done with the video
but it's so surreal that you know it as you guys know and i shared this in a separate video my
journey to here to getting license and it took me uh 15 years to get here it wasn't
you know a linear path you know there was moments where i was a bit lost and i wasn't sure if i
would even become licensed and at some points i did want to give up at one point i'm like oh i
don't want to do any more architecture i'll just go do something completely different just because
you know i had some moments where i was really tired and you know this happens
i think in any field this may happen where you just get overwhelmed and you have these moments
of weakness i call and so there were moments that i wanted to give up and i just felt so hopeless
and it's just so surreal to be here and to look at this now and to arrive to this moment and so
if you're on your journey and it perhaps you're in school and this happened to me i was when i was i
think in my undergrad at one point i didn't even want to go into architecture anymore
and so i kept pushing through if you really love what you do you should push through it
even during the hard times it only makes you stronger and it builds you it builds
your character it builds your skills and then once you do arrive at the destination
it really does feel good and if it was easy to get here i wouldn't feel so happy really to be here so
if it was easy i wouldn't have these emotions i probably wouldn't even be doing this video
because i really like what's the point right but it really means something when you do get here and
you went through all the steps and you went through the rigorous you know training and so on
so if you're out there and you're also on this journey and you're having those moments where
you feel a little bit down you're concerned or you just had enough
just take a break take a moment acknowledge those feelings get some rest get a good meal and
then just get back at it that's probably the best advice i can give anyone in any field and so don't
give up just don't give up just keep at it and you will get there and you'll be here like me
looking at the final product which is really surreal to be here okay
so let's get to the letter and i thought i would read the letter to you all so it's dated May 26,
2021 and it says dear Ashley Eusebio on behalf of the entire council of the Ontario
association of architects let me be the first to extend to you my warmest congratulations on
becoming fully licensed architect in Ontario explanation mark yes we have arrived here yes
on the long path towards licensure you have completed a set of rigorous admission requirements
which is in itself a tremendous achievement to be proud of one that gardens the well-deserved
respect of your colleagues you have now joined a distinguished profession that enjoys the benefits
of self-regulation this is a privilege that comes with a great responsibility
on the part of every member in the association we encourage you to explore the many ways of which
you can get involved in shaping the future of our profession whether it is through volunteering
mentoring or participating in the activities of the association or your local architectural
society the involvement of our members is vital to ensuring a diverse transparent and
strong voice to our profession which is honestly one of the goals that i have with this channel
was to bring more transparency and information and make architecture more relatable because
often i get asked this question anytime i get encountered by someone on the street or so on
and they asked me what do you do for a living and i say oh i'm an architect or i'm a designer
or intern architect they look puzzled they're like what what exactly do you do and so often
well i would say 95 of the time i have to describe and you know just give them
information about what exactly we do as architects and all like really this happens quite often that
no one really understands and knows what we do as a profession so that was one of my missions
with this channel is to bring that transparency not only to architects who are seeking to get
licensed but also to non-architects as well the OAA council is composed of volunteers elected from
our profession who work along with a committee of volunteers and the staff
at the OAA to give back to the profession by developing strategies that strengthen
the architectural profession as a whole council's goal is to ensure its members have the resources
tools and knowledge to provide the public with services of the highest caliber moreover
as an association we continuously strive to evolve and improve and we count on active participation
of our members to stay connected with the most pressing issues of our time we are thrilled to
welcome you to the profession explanation mark i can't i still can't believe this you know
i've been licensed for a while now uh since may at 26 uh or i can't yeah when they sent me
an email of confirmation and just letting me know you are licensed
and i can't believe i'm here and just reading this just makes it even more real um
it's really incredible we look forward to your contributions to the profession of architecture an
ever improving built environment in our province sincerely and so it's signed by the OAA president
wow this is just it's incredible it really is you know i never thought when i started architecture
school in Toronto um that i would end up here and even after doing my master's i was still uncertain
that i was gonna go through and get license and go through the full process and i'm really
happy that i did go through it and to be here now looking at this it's it's really crazy um
it's still a bit surreal that this is even here um i'm so excited i love the new logo by the OAA
and in a way i'm glad that everything happened the way it did happen you know it did take me a
bit more time but i'm happy about everything and i wouldn't be the person i am today or probably
even making the content that i am today if i didn't go through what i did up to now
so i'm really happy to be here and to share this experience with you and i hope this was
an inspiration so perhaps you're also looking into getting licensed and you may have a moment or even
more than one moment because i had several moments during the 15 years where you feel a bit lost
you might feel a little bit overwhelmed or very overwhelmed and just keep going just keep going
keep pushing through keep working at it keep doing the best work that you can and soon enough time
does fly you will be here fully licensed and also celebrating and contributing to the next
generation as well so this is such a pleasure i am so happy to be sharing this with you all and
i hope you enjoyed this video as well if you enjoyed the video make sure to like the video
and of course if you haven't subscribed and you want to see more content make sure to subscribe
and it helps the channel very much i hope to see you on the next video until then bye
i can't reach the camera i just realized because i'm further away