When Lucy Vitali first enrolled at Oregon State University, she had her sights set on a career in mechanical engineering. But as time went on, something felt off.
“I realized I was losing touch with my passions,” she recalled.
Everything changed when she discovered the Wood Innovation for Sustainability (WINS) program in the OSU College of Forestry. Within a week, she had switched majors — and found the creative spark she had been missing.
“I’ve always loved problem-solving, which is what drew me to mechanical engineering,” Vitali said. “But I quickly realized it was such a broad field that it was hard to find a clear focus — and it didn’t offer the creativity I was craving.”
When Vitali learned that the WINS program had a path combining art and design, she jumped right in. She started taking classes where she could design and build furniture, which included elements of engineering but with more hands-on, real-time feedback. The classes also provided a safe environment with room for failure and mistakes.
One of her most formative experiences was building a 1970s-inspired turntable cabinet for a class project. Unsatisfied with the end result, she signed up for an independent study and created a new version that ended up winning the Western Hardwood Association Furniture Design Award (photo below).
“Most of us see failure as something to be ashamed of,” Vitali said. “But what I ended up with after reworking the design is a piece I’m incredibly proud of — and it only exists because I accepted failure and chose to improve on it.”
For Vitali, the WINS program was more than a major — it was a turning point. “I thought changing paths might close doors, but the College of Forestry opened up a future I never expected, and I’ve never once looked back,” she said. “I went from sitting in lecture halls with 300 students to being in classes where you got to know everybody. I wouldn’t trade anything for the experience I had in a smaller program. I felt seen, supported and part of a close-knit community, which made it incredibly hard to say goodbye.”