My name is Enrique Araiza. I am a senior at Heights High School participating in the
International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IB DP). I completed my Wing-It Habitats
birdhouse project as a part of the Creativity, Activity, and Service requirement for IB DP.

As an aspiring architectural/civil engineering student, I looked for a way that I could
leverage my passion for drawing and designing into an opportunity to get my hands dirty.
Keeping my community as the main focus, I wanted to create something that was beneficial to
the environment and visually appealing – I decided to design and build birdhouses. The project
started with a vision of leveraging the home designs in the community, coming up with a design
and using measurements and cuts. For the first time, I worked with tools like a table saw,
electric sander, and drill, and with the support of my father, I was able to be as detailed as
possible to construct beautiful birdhouses for not just our flying friends, but for the bird watchers
and park goers in the Heights community. Thank you to the Houston Heights Association for
allowing me the opportunity to be creative in our community.