WSU grad thrived in program that built her family a home

Jessica Kokesh, Marketing & Communications

When Abigail Trejo decided to study in Weber State University’s Department of Construction and Building Sciences, she didn’t realize she already had a special connection to it.

In 2019, Trejo and her family were recipients of a home from Habitat for Humanity of Weber and Davis Counties — a home that students and faculty from Weber State’s construction program helped build.

“I didn’t know that they were working on it,” she said. “I didn’t know that I was going into a program that does similar projects, so it’s pretty cool.”

As a first-generation student, Trejo wasn’t always sure if college was the right choice for her. In April, she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in building design and construction. She also earned two associate’s degrees during her time at Weber State.

“Weber was just my stepping stone. I didn’t know if I was going to stay here or not, or if I was going to find what I was looking for,” she said, “but, fortunately, I did.”

Though it took time to settle on a major, building design turned out to be right for her. As a child, she loved drawing up floor plans for houses.

“My family comes from a very poor background. We started off with a trailer home and I remember drawing the footprint of our home and drawing everyone’s room,” she said. “I’ve always been a very visual learner.”

She enjoyed the hands-on aspect of building design and watching projects come to life outside the classroom. As part of her senior project, she worked on a redesign of the Youth Futures shelter in Ogden and created a 3D rendering of the building.

During her time at Weber, Trejo also discovered how much she enjoys remodeling projects, taking old floor plans and coming up with fresh uses for the space.

“I like to make it as simple as possible, creating a blank canvas so that the owner can project their ideas onto what I’m trying to achieve,” she said. “It’s working together to make one piece.”