Raney Orsak is building a better future, one sketch at a time. The brand new graduate of Texas A&M University did so with a Bachelor of Environmental Design from the College of Architecture, and will be continuing her education in the fall by working towards her Masters and becoming a fully licensed architect.
She did some early-stage design renderings for the restoration of the Edna Theatre for the Texana Arts Council. She has also worked with Jackson County individuals to help envision and lay out spaces through 3D modeling and design consultations to create environments which meet people’s needs and reflect their personal style.
Orsak said it’s been incredibly rewarding to see how her skills can be used to serve her hometown.
“A few years ago I designed and sold t-shirts to raise money for the theatre’s revitalization,” she said. “At the time I just wanted to support something that mattered to our community. Now, having the opportunity to contribute to the projects more directly—by creating 3D renderings that help the council visualize the theatre’s future—has felt like a full-circle moment.”
Orsak’s passion for architecture was born early in life, long before she stepped foot into a design studio.
“I was sketching floor plans for my family members’ dream homes and building tiny structures out of popsicle sticks,” she said.
It will take dedication and focus for Orsak to reach her goal of being a licensed architect, which of course, anyone who knows her, knows she has those traits in spades. She hopes to open her own architec- ture firm that “focuses on bringing meaningful, people- centered projects to life, whether that means building from the ground up, or transforming underused spaces into places that serve and inspire.”
As an undergraduate she’s been able to learn the different software used in architecture, along with the basic design concepts, principles and an introduction to mechanical and electrical systems. Orsak said as a graduate student the program is more about blending architectural design, history, theory and criticism, design computation and interior architecture into projects at a more in-depth level.
In addition to acquiring a National Architectural Accrediting Board accredited degree, she will complete 3,740 hours across six different areas, plus working under a licensed architect and/or under direct supervision of a mentor for her NCARB record.
“The six categories are Practice Management, Project Management, Programming and Analysis, Project Planning and Design, Project Development and Documentation, and Construction and Evaluation,” Orsak said. “After accumulating the hours in each category, I can begin taking the respected exam of the six categories.”
Totaling the six exams allows her to gain the NCARB certification and lastly, licensure.
Orsak has been acquiring her hours since the summer of 2022 and has worked at different architectural firms and construction companies when she wasn’t enrolled in a semester of college.
“This is the first summer I will be able to work on getting certifications and finding new freelance jobs to stay busy over the break until classes start up again in the fall,” she said.
To check out Orsak’s projects, visit her architecture Instagram page, (larane. does.arch), where one can see her use her skills in different ways. She uses a combination of software, including Sketchup, Rhino 3-D, Revit, Photoshop and Enscape to reach her final product.
The daughter of Shannon and Tara Orsak, Raney hopes to graduate in May of 2027 with her Master of Architecture.
