This architecture student started college in Lubbock but soon realized her calling was on the border.

Kasey Cochran wasn’t going to wait until she graduated college to follow her calling. 

“Texas Tech had the resources, faculty and facilities for me to immediately start doing what I’m passionate about,” Kasey said. 

The graduating senior will earn her Bachelor of Science in architecture this May. She is hoping to find a full-time job in El Paso, where she has lived for the last year. While Kasey started classes at Texas Tech University’s main campus in Lubbock, a mission trip to Juárez her first year established an interest in the region and its people. 

At first, she spent weekends and breaks from school driving the long roundtrip, but when she discovered the Huckabee College of Architecture offered courses in El Paso, she knew she had to transfer. 

Since then, El Paso–Juárez has become home for Kasey, who spent her life frequently moving. Now, she wants to give the feeling of home to those who need it. 

Looking for Roots 

Kasey’s mother served in the U.S. Army until Kasey was about 10 years old. The family lived in Texas, Georgia, Illinois, Hawaii and eventually settled in Wisconsin when her mother started a new job. 

While Kasey loved the adventure of moving from state to state, she longed to put down roots. When she was in middle school, she took her first wood working course and designed a birdhouse. 

Kasey’s mother always said one of her daughter’s gifts was helping people find where they belong, and she was doing that for even the smallest of creatures early on. 

She was fascinated by working with her hands. From woodworking, she decided to try painting. She pleaded with her parents to buy her canvases, paints and brushes. Her parents were wary of spending money on a hobby that might be fleeting. After all, painting supplies aren’t cheap. 

The answer was no. 

Down but not out, Kasey decided to take matters into her own hands – literally. 

She had a foam poster board she could use as a canvas; all she needed was paint. She went to Pinterest to research what she could use.

“I used food dye, flour, salt and water to make my own paint,” she said. 

Kasey used her own hands to fingerpaint, since she didn’t have brushes. When she was done, she showed the finished product to her parents, who were pleasantly surprised by what she was capable of with a little food dye and stubbornness. 

She got paint supplies shortly after. 

Becoming an Architecture Student 

When it was time to explore options for college, Kasey was living in Wisconsin, so Texas schools weren’t on her radar. But at the onset of COVID-19, her mother lost her job. It was an unwelcomed setback for the family, especially with their eldest starting college. 

“My mom got a job in Texas and moved down there with my stepdad and siblings,” Kasey recalled. “I took a gap year after graduating from high school and stayed in Wisconsin.

“There was so much uncertainty because of the pandemic, and I didn’t want to rush into a decision.” 

During that year, she completed an internship and saved up her money from odd jobs here and there. As the pandemic slowed and her family became reestablished, Kasey decided it would be best to look at colleges in Texas. 

She was now eligible for in-state tuition and discovered she would receive support because of the Hazlewood Act. When it came time to enroll in a program, she never flinched – it was going to be architecture. 

“I am very creative, but I also am a logical thinker,” she said. “Architecture engages both sides of my brain.” 

Kasey toured the Texas Tech campus and joined a detailed tour of the Huckabee College of Architecture. 

“I remember seeing the woodshop and being excited about that,” she said. 

Kasey highlighted those same things when she became the one leading tour as a recruiting student assistant her first year. This role was one of many she used to get plugged-in on campus. 

“I was nervous about meeting friends because I missed the first two weeks of class when I came down with COVID,” she said. “I was hospitalized, and when I came back, I’d missed all the welcome events.” 

But like she’d always done, she rolled up her sleeves and went to work. 

She not only got the role of recruiting student assistant, but she later became a studio teaching assistant. She was an officer for the Knights of Architecture club and was accepted into President’s Select. 

All of this was in addition to belonging to the Texas Tech Honors College, which gave her added opportunities for connection with professors and peers, the ability to delve into classes complementary to architecture and enabled her to spend a summer studying abroad at Texas Tech’s Sevilla Center in Spain. 

“Being an honors architecture student is different,” she said, “because outside of studio, most other classes I took that first semester were honors classes. 

“There were only five honors architecture students, so my classes were small, which gave me the amazing opportunity to get to know my professors one-on-one, instead of being in a lecture hall with 200 other students.” 

A House, A Girl and Some Chalk

But the most meaningful community she became part of was the Wesley Foundation, a campus-affiliated ministry. Faith had always played an important part in Kasey’s life, and she was eager to find a spiritual community to join. 

It was through that group she took a mission trip to Juárez during her first year of college. Six Texas Tech students went and spent the week building a house for a family. 

“The family had a little girl named Luna,” Kasey recalled. “While we were building, Luna started chasing me.”

It was clear the 6-year-old wanted to play. 

“I barely knew Spanish at that point, so I was using my little broken up Spanish, and just playing with her the whole time. She was very fundamental in establishing my love for Juárez.” 

When the week ended, Kasey struggled saying goodbye to Luna. But unlike many others who would go home, look back on photos, and move on, she was intent on returning. 

She took seven more trips as an undergraduate to serve the people of Juárez, working with ministries such as Operacion Abrigo and Youth With A Mission (YWAM). Sometimes building homes, other times she worked in refugee camps or volunteered in children’s homes. 

It was important to Kasey to listen beyond the complicated narratives surrounding the border. She wanted to connect with its people.

“For me, it’s about building relationships,” she said. “I sometimes go to the refugee tents and just sit down with people on the curb. I met this lady who walked for four months on foot to get here from Peru, and she told me about her family, what she left behind.”

Since Kasey was still learning the language, they drew pictures of their families with chalk on the sidewalk. 

Kasey hated constantly having to say goodbye to those she was building relationships with. Doing short-term trips repeatedly could sometimes feel inauthentic to her – she wanted to be a consistent presence. That’s when she learned that her college had a campus in El Paso. 

The only architecture program on the Texas-Mexico border, the campus offers the same competitive education, world-class faculty and hands-on opportunities as the main campus in Lubbock. 

“It was the spring before my senior year when I realized I wanted to transfer to El Paso,” Kasey said. 

Unfortunately, she’d missed the application deadline to transfer. But figuring she had nothing to lose, she emailed the faculty.

“I had visited previously and said I hoped they remembered me,” Kasey said. “I asked if there was any way to still make a transfer work.” 

Thanks to Kasey’s determination and enthusiasm, they rushed to get the transfer done in time for the fall semester. 

Finally Rooted 

Now, Kasey doesn’t have to say so many goodbyes. 

“I just don’t think I have the heart to do that,” she said. “We all have different gifts, but mine have always been in building deep relationships.”

She’s noticed many youths in the children’s home she volunteers at on the weekends are now sharing more with her. 

“One of the girls I mentor recently disclosed information about her mental health to me,” Kasey said. “It took time for her to see that I was there to stay before she opened up. I don’t think we would have had that conversation if I wasn’t going there consistently.” 

Kasey’s passion is noticeable in the classroom, too. 

“Kasey’s work stands out because of how clearly it reflects her point of view,” said Andres Gandara, a lecturer in the Huckabee College – El Paso. “She doesn’t just complete assignments, she brings a unique sense of style and purpose to everything she creates.”

Gandara says there’s always a strong concept behind Kasey’s designs, and that she balances creativity with functionality. They also noted there’s a spark in Kasey’s work beyond creativity.

“Kasey is deeply driven by an interest in human connection – how people interact, communicate and make sense of one another in complex social spaces. Her work often reflects a sensitivity to emotion, empathy and the nuances of human behavior.”

After graduation, Kasey hopes to get a job with an architecture firm in El Paso and continue volunteering where she’s needed on the weekends. But long term, her dream is to perhaps start her own firm to work on projects that will provide spaces for those who need them most. 

“Texas Tech has given me opportunities to find the things I love to do,” she said. “The university having the El Paso campus was so helpful. So, whether you’re in Lubbock or one of the other campuses, I think it's possible to go out and make a difference using the skill sets and giftings you have.”

But for now, Kasey is working hard and looking forward to walking the stage in May. As she takes hold of her diploma, she’ll be wearing a bracelet she made with Luna. 

“I was able to go back and actually see her,” Kasey said, emotionally.

The two exchanged friendship bracelets and Kasey wears her’s every day. It’s a reminder that no matter what she creates, building relationships will always come first.