Anthony Rascon '26, B.Arch | Exploring Themed Entertainment and Architecture

Nine Questions with Bachelor of Architecture Student Anthony Rascon

“By being a student at a competitive university like the University of Arizona, I have found that there are many opportunities for students to travel for relevant industry events and when you are at those events, many professionals value the experience that you have.”

Tucsonan Anthony Rascon brings a unique perspective to CAPLA, with a minor in Live and Immersive Arts from the College of Fine Arts. His passion is themed entertainment, which led him to an impressive internship with Universal Creative in Orlando. 

Hear about how CAPLA is helping him reach his interdisciplinary goals. 

Q: What brought you to the University of Arizona?

Growing up in Tucson, the University of Arizona was the main college I was familiar with. When it came time to choose a college, the U of A was always one of my top choices. One thing that made me choose the University of Arizona was the presence of both a strong architecture college and engineering college because back then I was not sure which I wanted to go into.

Q: What has been your biggest challenge outside of CAPLA, and how have you overcome that challenge?

One of the largest obstacles I had living in Arizona was networking and making industry connections. Southern Arizona is a desert, both literally and figuratively when it comes to my focus of themed entertainment, with not many firms being based in the area. That said, by being a student at a competitive university like the University of Arizona, I have found that there are many opportunities for students to travel for relevant industry events and when you are at those events, many professionals value the experience that you have.

Q: If you have a particular focus or interest in architecture, what is it and what excites you most about it?

My interest is themed entertainment, which is designing in the context of themed experiences such as amusement parks, zoological exhibits and museum installations. The thing that makes me most excited about working in this specific focus is how interdisciplinary it is. Beyond just utilizing architectural design, themed entertainment work often requires thinking through the lenses of engineering, art, writing, landscape, theater and even business management. This means that in every project you work on, you are not only thinking through these diverse perspectives, but are also working on a team full of designers who specialize in all of these different fields in order to work together to make a design which is fully immersive. 

Q: What do you like best about your degree program and CAPLA?

One element that many take for granted within CAPLA is the presence of the studio. Having an all-hours-access studio space where students are able to work and discuss design with their peers creates an environment not far from the professional field. It is not only an extremely valuable space as a safe environment to do work which you are always welcome in, but also a great environment to make friends and connections within the college.

Q: What has been your biggest challenge at CAPLA, and how have you overcome that challenge?

One of the largest challenges I have had here at CAPLA is the course schedule. Compared to most traditional programs at the university, the B.Arch program has a lot of semester and major specific courses to take that can really fill up your schedule. 

From my experience, I have worked to push the traditional course schedule to its limits in order to enable me to take many courses which would have normally been outside of the traditional track, such as art courses like sound design or landscape architecture courses like landscape ecology. Though this sometimes means that I need to take a summer or winter class, it is worth the experience of learning these interdisciplinary topics.

Q: What does the CAPLA experience mean to you?

To me, the CAPLA experience is defined through your relationship with the college itself, be that viewing the growth of the work of your peers in each semester's review or the late nights you have working at the studio. By being a student at CAPLA, you have the opportunity to grow and see others grow in this space over the course of five years as you develop your skills in design.

Q: What internships or other working experiences have you had, and what are your career aspirations?

My most defining internship so far has been my time working at Universal Creative in Orlando Florida. Universal Creative is responsible for the design and development of the many Universal Studios parks around the world. While working there, I was able to work in a team of many diverse design professions to produce many one of a kind projects. My long-term career goal is to continue to work on immersive projects with diverse design teams similar to what I did at Universal Creative and make many more projects that provide fun and wonder.

Q: Do you participate in any extracurricular activities? What are your hobbies and passions?

Outside of my academics, the main student organization I work with is the Theme Park Entertainment Group (TPEG), which is a club open to students of all majors and backgrounds to discuss and learn about the themed entertainment industry. Through that club, I have gained many opportunities for professional advancement and learned many skills which proved valuable in the professional field. 

Outside of extracurriculars, my hobbies often focus on different forms of design, such as designing and making board games, programing video games and making garden beds and terrariums. I am always fascinated how design plays a role in everything around us and I love displaying that through the smaller things I make.

Q: What advice do you have for prospective CAPLA students?

The main piece of advice I have for any future CAPLA students is to not only think about why you want to study architecture, but also what other aspects of design interest you most. Always look for opportunities to integrate different topics and experiences you have into your design work. If there is ever an opportunity to learn about something that interests you, take it. You will never know when an interdisciplinary skill set will come in handy, especially in a field as varied and diverse as architecture.