Dorothy Greenhalge (they/them) is an architecture major, but it was a perfect match when they got hired on as the design editor for The Daily Evergreen in the 2021 fall semester.

Greenhalge came to WSU after taking a gap year post-high school graduation; they now have a focus on sociological architecture, but got involved with their major by chance.

“I’ve been really interested in art and design since I was young, and I was always pretty good at math, so I figured I could do architecture,” Greenhalge said. “It’s like the best of both worlds.”

Greenhalge decided to go to WSU because it was still in-state, but also because of the opportunities the university offered to first-generation students like them.

When Greenhalge applied for The Daily Evergreen in 2021, the design editor position did not exist, so they applied to be an illustrator. But, they said they were asked to be the design editor, and it worked out well because as an architecture major, they convey information visually. 

“I think working at the newspaper and doing layout and some of the illustration and design stuff I’ve done is a really good exercise,” they said. “It shows me how to communicate information truthfully and accurately through visuals.”

Alongside The Daily Evergreen, Greenhalge was co-chair for Period, a club involving metro equity, for a while. But at some point, they realized they needed to combine their passion for social change with architecture.

So, they started a club called Design Activism Society, which functions through the Voiland College of Engineering and Architecture and looks at social change in the architectural environment and how students can help promote it.

Greenhalge said they have done a lot with the groups they have been involved with, including collecting materials to distribute to people in Spokane through Period and community engagement through DAS.

Growing up, they did not know a lot about architecture; it is important to DAS to help younger students become aware of the options available to them, Greenhalge said.

WSU alumni Lucy Perry was involved in Period with Greenhalge and has known them for almost four years. Perry said Greenhalge is full of new ideas and thinking about how to make concrete change for the better.

“I always loved that I could rely on Dorothy for a creative solution to a problem or creative approach,” she said. “They’re very creative, and that’s why they’re really good at problem-solving…I feel like that was the most rewarding part, was how good they are at coming up with new ideas.”

Perry said Greenhalge has made an impact on the undergraduate community at WSU by not only starting a club, but helping run Period for three years.

Greenhalge is very active in the community, and Perry said she feels like they have contributed to a culture change at WSU for the better.

“That’s what I admire so much about them; they actually helped a lot of people make a change, big or small, with getting the word out about different activist groups like Period and DAS and just establishing that culture,” Perry said.

After graduating with their bachelor’s degree, Greenhalge will stay at WSU to get their master’s degree in architectural studies after going to Seattle for the summer.

“I’ve been taking some sociology classes and writing and that’s really interesting,” they said.

The architecture program at WSU is rigorous and hard work for a good reason. Greenhalge said they have learned a lot about soft skills such as networking and making connections with people.

“It feels like a very tight-knit community, so you have to be a good community member in order to have a good time at school,” they said. “All those things combined, I feel like it sets me up for grad school and getting a job after that.”

Outside of school and jobs, Greenhalge enjoys working on personal art projects, which they relate to activities they are already doing like DAS.

In their free time, they enjoy working on crafts and designing items such as T-shirts, they said.

“I feel like I apply a lot of the stuff I learned at school to my actual life,” Greenhalge said. “I’m trying to keep all my education very grounded in reality instead of it being loft academic theories and ideas…and I honestly really enjoy doing that outside of school.”