Architecture & Construction
An ideal career field for a Christendom graduate
Architecture is often described as the “mother of the arts,” for it encompasses everything in art — history, philosophy, economics, and more. As a result, studying just architecture itself reduces one’s ability to be a great architect, for they are only getting a part of the greater picture. Those with a liberal arts background, however, are able to design structures with all of the arts in mind, resulting in buildings, monuments, and more that stand the test of time. Construction is much the same way. One can know how to build a building, but how does one know how to build a great one? By being able to think creatively and to understand everything that’s come before in the history of construction. The liberal arts makes this possible.
Christendom alumni are found in both of these fields, excelling due to their passion for them but also because of the knowledge they bring to the table. The soft skills of communication and leadership they are equipped with only help them even more so, making them leaders in these fields as well.
At Christendom’s Life on Tap alumni networking series, successful alumni in the fields of architecture and construction have returned to campus to speak on how they used their liberal arts education and the career preparation they received at Christendom to find post-graduate success.
Watch the video recordings below.

Stories about Alumni in this Field:
- Liberal Arts Skills Lead to Alumni Success in Architecture and Construction
- Alumnus Designs Houses of God
Frank O’Reilly (’83) is the founder and CEO of Petrine Construction while Dean Reineking (’09) is an architect for David M. Schwarz Architects, Inc.