Since 1999, CSArch has partnered with local high schools to offer internships to students interested in pursuing a career in architecture. The program exposes students to design programs used by CSArch staff every day and strengthens soft skills to promote career readiness.
This semester, CSArch welcomed three student interns, Miranda Luck from Watervliet High School and Nathan Gach and Nic Rotolo from Shaker High School, each with a strong interest in pursuing a career in architecture. For the past several months, Miranda, Nathan and Nic have worked closely with CSArch program coordinators Elizabeth Brutsch and Bill Preskenis to learn the basics of architectural design – hand drawing, precedent research, and mini model building, as well as develop their own unique designs using the Autodesk Revit software.
Yesterday afternoon, each student presented their final designs to CSArch staff and school faculty members. Nathan and Miranda used their respective interests of skiing and history/reading to design buildings that will cater to specific communities and their needs. Nic designed a maker space on a parking structure at Syracuse University to provide additional creative learning spaces in a prominent corner of the campus.
Over the course of the internship program, CSArch has welcomed feedback from past interns to improve and enhance the student learning experience. This past summer, our program coordinators met with a former high school intern to discuss areas of the program that are successful and areas that could be improved to better prepare students for college study.
In addition to aligning our internships with current college programs, Elizabeth and Bill are working with other departments in the company to expand the internship program into Engineering and Interior Design.