For professor Jason Oliver, architecture is about more than simply designing and creating beautiful or functional structures. It’s about creating a world that is more sustainable and environmentally conscious while still maintaining all the aspects of aestheticism that so many people associate with architectural masterpieces, and that’s the number one lesson he passes on to his students here at COC.

Oliver himself has roots in the community college scene -- he started out as a student at Pierce College here in Los Angeles, and eventually transferred out to the University of Colorado to earn his Bachelor’s in Environmental Design and later, his Master’s in Architecture.

From there, it took little deliberation before he landed on teaching as the career path he wanted to pursue. He started teaching in 1999, and a few years later, he joined COC’s faculty in 2003 before becoming a full time faculty member in the summer of 2015.

Oliver knew that teaching was in the cards for him; seeing the spark in students’ eyes when they learn something new was part of what made the world of education so appealing for him. Now that he’s made it to the top of the architectural scene, he sees it as his duty to teach his students about how they can have an influence on the world in more environmentally educated ways.

“I want my students to be confident professionals who have a solid knowledge of the subject,” Oliver says. “When they’re confident and they keep moving forward, they’ll always make it to their goals. 

Nowadays, when he’s not putting together lectures or enriching his classes in some way, he’s split between taking his daughters to dance class or enjoying the outdoors through hiking and snowboarding. He’s also a big fan of college football, which is why you’ll find him cheering on his favorite team on the days when he’s not out spending time on the trails with his kids.

Of course, he’s an architectural enthusiast outside of the classroom, too. Oliver has taken up some architectural work on the side. He’s currently working to rebuild a house up in the Santa Monica mountains in the aftermath of the Woolsey fire, but that’s just one of his side projects that he enjoys immersing himself in.

He dreams of one day exploring architecture out in the rest of the world, too -- on his travel bucket list is Italy, which  touts an incredibly rich architectural heritage that drew him in from the start.

“In my field, students can have a lot of influence on the world,” Oliver shares. “It’s up to me to show them how to make the most of it.”