At 6’4”, Simeon Owens ’26 appreciates generous headroom.
And as an interior architecture major, he also favors natural light and functionality. That’s why two of his favorite spaces at Endicott feature floor-to-ceiling windows that welcome sunlight, offer stunning views—and accommodate his height.
“I’m a very tall person, so I appreciate a lot of vertical space,” Owens explained. “I love the atrium in our [Walter J. Manninen] Center for the Arts … looking out over the ponds, the open space, and the connection to nature. Plus, there are big, beautiful tables, so I can spread out and do my work.”
Owens feels similarly about the third floor of the Cummings School of Nursing & Health Sciences, which boasts comparable views and offers cushy chairs for ultimate comfort. “These go-to study spots are key to my academic success and for staying refreshed and inspired,” Owens said.
While those places are where you might typically find the Pittsburgh, Penn., resident, Owens has made his presence felt in just about every corner of life at Endicott.
With a personality shaped early on by his diverse creative interests, Owens has continued to explore a wide range of pursuits during his undergraduate years. Throughout his youth, he constantly rotated through new hobbies, including “baking pretty cakes and cupcakes,” painting, crafting, and building things out of cardboard (a bit of foreshadowing, perhaps). Owens was also a choir kid and sang whenever and wherever he could.
Owens was drawn to Endicott after a career assessment suggested interior design might allow him to balance his creativity, math, and logic skills. He chose the school not only for its CIDA-approved (Council for Interior Design Accreditation) interior architecture program (synonymous with interior design) but also for its coastal location and the benefits of the Endicott Experiential Edge program.
Beyond the College’s natural beauty and outstanding internship program, Endicott offered a range of other experiences that appealed to Owens.
“The other thing about Endicott was they told me I’d be able to do music and performance without being a major, which isn’t possible at many schools,” he said.
The arts have remained central to Owens’ college experience. He’s performed in multiple musicals, including turns as Brother Jeremiah in Something Rotten!, Pierre Bezukhov in Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, and, most recently, as Beadle Bamford in Sweeney Todd. Owens also performs with the ECHO a cappella group and the Endicott Singers. While he uses his tenor on stage, Owens perhaps sings most prominently in his role as an Orientation Leader. He describes his three-year stint as “my best Endicott experience. I’m a very colorful person who gets my energy from people, experiences, and socializing.”
Armed with an earnest welcome, Owens brings his distinct blend of positivity, compassion, and teamwork to the orientation group. Associate Director for Student Transitions & Family Programs, Victoria Badagliacca, recalled that during Orientation last fall, Owens went out of his way to save the “paint and plant” event. When organizers realized they didn’t have enough succulents for new students to plant in their freshly painted pots, Owens jumped into gear, dashing off campus to pick up additional greenery so the activity could continue.
“If Simeon hadn’t volunteered, we wouldn’t have had enough succulents to make this event successful for first-year students,” Badagliacca said, adding that Owens was named Orientation Leader of the Year in 2025. “Simeon brings such positive energy into any space he enters. He’s kind, empathetic, enthusiastic, and so down to earth. He can be someone who brings the energy but can also be a calming presence for those around him.”
His naturally outgoing personality has led to a wide social circle for Owens, who describes himself as an “open book.” That personality hangs on the walls of his dorm room, which are covered with colorful collages, and in his musical interests, which range from Lizzy McAlpine to Charli xcx to Bruno Mars and beyond (even country music when the muse strikes).
Transitioning to New England from the Rust Belt was a bit of an adjustment, but Owens has successfully acclimated to the Boston accent. He’s still trying to learn how to pronounce the names of random Massachusetts towns and has yet to solve the mystery of why New Englanders call a water fountain a “bubbler.”
On his first visit to New England to tour Endicott, Owens immediately recognized the historic architectural style that dominates the Bay State. It drew him in, and soon he’ll be part of designing spaces within those structures.
This past year, Owens completed an internship with Visnick & Caulfield Associates, a corporate design firm in Boston’s Back Bay. The firm handles projects of all sizes and budgets, and he has accepted a full-time job at the company after graduation.
In his design architecture courses, Owens has had a chance to draft a natatorium renovation for Endicott’s Post Center, featuring moisture-resistant green and blue acoustic panels, and a Baroque-inspired condo for a couple wishing to age in place. Last spring, he designed a prospective high school for students with autism, creating malleable spaces to accommodate the wide range of experiences for students on the spectrum and considering how those spaces might be used.
“I was not very educated on the subject before the project,” he said, “so learning about the ways autism affects people, I had to put more thought into making it a flexible and purposeful space that would be comfortable for as many people as possible.”
Owens describes the project as his most meaningful design concept so far. His thoughtful approach reflects the authenticity he brings to everything he does. Because of his presence at Orientation, Owens notes that new students often greet him on campus months later, which reminds him he’s “actually done a good job welcoming them.”
“The students, both new and current,” Badagliacca added (with pun unintended), “do truly look up to him as a leader.”