For as long as he can remember, Connor Morton has been fascinated by the process of creating intricate buildings, brick by brick. It’s no wonder why his first loves were LEGOs and Minecraft.
“I was fascinated by seeing how things were put together,” he said. “Back then, I played (and I still do today) this video game called Minecraft – as well as many others from my generation. It’s a building game that probably cemented my future as an architect.”
This early fascination with building paved the way for Connor’s career. He went on to help design multimillion-dollar structures as an architecture intern at The Korte Company.
Connor recently graduated from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign with a degree in architecture. While navigating the challenges of graduating high school and attending college during the heat of the pandemic, he stayed focused on his dream of becoming an architect.
He only had one in-person class during the first year of the pandemic. Being online hindered his creativity because he couldn’t build models in class. On top of everything, his dorm room didn’t have air conditioning.
“At times, I thought about giving up and just cutting my losses,” he said. “But something in me would tell me that if I stuck with it, a few years down the road, I’d be in way better shape than I was in that moment.”
After four years at the University of Illinois, Connor was eager to put his degree to use. At a career fair this past year, The Korte Company caught his eye. He wanted to be close to home, working with a close-knit company. He knew The Korte Company fit the bill because his dad worked in Highland.
Within the first week at The Korte Company, Connor was assigned to the Bachelor Enlisted Quarters Renovation project at the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps base in California.
“Right now, we are doing some redlines work,” he said. “There are a few notes that say, ‘This wall needs to be demolished,’ or ‘These living units need to be replaced.’ I’ve already recreated the building in my little software, and right now with those redlines, I’m just making those amendments to the building.”
While he enjoys the redline work, his favorite part of the job is witnessing how his contributions help the building come together.
“My favorite part is definitely putting the building together,” he said. “Getting to actually look at it and seeing the interior through a 3D perspective is pretty impressive.”
And the best part about it? Connor scored a full-time position here at The Korte Company.
“It was certainly unexpected that I’d get hired full-time,” he said. “I didn’t know where I was going to go after the internship was over, so the opportunity to continue working here is a great fit for me. It’s a wonderful crowd of people that work here, and I’m excited to work with them for a longer period of time. I’m looking forward to this next stage of life.”
