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Kent State Today will follow a group of six Golden Flashes for the 2024-25 academic year chronicling their efforts and successes during the fall and spring semesters. The group of students are at various places in their 5X���� academic careers and will share their experiences throughout the year as they take part in our distinctive programs, research and global experiences. 

One of the first projects that Muna Koirala had to tackle in her first semester in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design was the movement of a flying object.

Koirala selected a Japanese flying squid, a sea creature found in the Pacific Ocean that can suck in water through its siphon and then propel itself through the air via jet propulsion by the force of expelling the water out the other side of the siphon. The squid have been known to propel themselves distances as long as 100 feet (about 30 meters) – not what one would expect from the small ocean dwellers.

The project on motion was not what Koirala expected either. 

As an architecture major, she expected her coursework would focus on buildings and structures, not movement. But what she has learned in her first semester is that while the work may not be what she expects, it is creating a foundation upon which she will build, as she moves toward her goal of helping to create affordable housing.

“It’s been a lot to adjust to because it’s not what you expect it to be,” said Koirala, 19, of Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. “Everyone’s expectation is structures, but in the first year they lean toward other areas that force you to think outside the box.”

After high school graduation in 2023, Koirala decided to take a year off before beginning college. She worked for a large home improvement store chain and had several coworkers who were studying architecture at Kent State. What she heard about the program from them made her think it might be her calling, as Koirala is passionate about the issue of affordable, workable housing for families.

“I felt like Kent State was best for me. Their education is great, and the architecture program is amazing. I felt like I could really succeed here,” Koirala said.

Koirala is the oldest daughter of Bhutanese immigrants who, to escape persecution, fled to Nepal, where she was born in 2005, and later immigrated to the United States and to Northeast Ohio in 2013. Her family includes her parents, two younger sisters, paternal grandparents and uncle, so finding affordable housing where they could live comfortably together was always a challenge, a reality that sparked Koirala’s interest in housing as a career.

She is not shy about admitting her first semester has been particularly challenging and she has often felt overwhelmed, behind and questioning herself and her major.

The second half of the flying squid project involves creating a computer model of the motion, then crafting that from balsa wood, and eventually flying the creation down a zipline in the architecture studio. 

“I already experienced falling behind on my project, because I wasn’t really sure which direction to take my project in and then it was kind of like a domino effect, everything started piling up and I was struggling to catch up,” Koirala said. 

Eventually, she reached out to her instructor for help and found that not only was help there for the asking but that many of her classmates were struggling, too. 

“Letting him know that I was struggling was really helpful,” she said.

She also received similar help from the professor who teaches her computer applications class. 

“The first semester has been like trial and error for me, figuring out what works best for me and what doesn’t,” Koirala said. 

Koirala’s schedule includes 16 credit hours, including three courses from her major, and three courses of general education requirements and electives. She also signed up to play badminton three times a week at the Warren Student Recreation and Wellness Center.

Learning how to manage all the work has been challenging, and she eventually cut back on her work hours at her job to keep up with everything. 

“It’s a bit hard to manage when you fall behind,” she said.

For all the first semester hiccups, Koirala is looking forward to advancing in the architecture program. She has viewed the projects of second-year students, who begin to create structures, and Koirala cannot wait to reach that stage. 

“That’s what I want to do, and if I have to do all this before I can get there, then it’s something I have to do to get to what I want to be doing,” she said. “I’m really excited for next semester.”

Koirala hopes to join a few student organizations and is already planning to take classes over the summer to stay on top of her schedule for the 2025-26 academic year.

“I think everything is possible,” she said.