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Scholarships and Career Resources for Students of Color

(via Curbed)

In reporting last year on the state of race and architecture, we attempted to focus on rooting out ways to help foster a more inclusive, diverse, and creative profession. Consider this resource list a tool to find and create such opportunities, and to make connections that benefit both aspiring architects and working professionals.

The programs below, from student summer camps to professional seminars, address both the pipeline problem in architecture and the historic lack of leadership roles for architects of color. This list of scholarships, mentor programs, volunteer opportunities, and professional organizations will always be a work in progress, and we’re keen to add more—so please send any noteworthy additions to curbed@curbed.com or drop suggestions in the comments.

Student groups & youth programs

Project Pipeline

Sponsored and organized by the National Organization of Minority Architects, this summer camp gives minority youth insight and experience with architecture via workshops and activities led by professional volunteers. Those interested in attending can begin registration via email; camps are currently scheduled for New Orleans, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Chicago.

The ACE (Architecture, Construction, Engineering) Mentor Program

The ACE Mentor Program provides pre-college students with real-world exposure to professionals, and has demonstrated great success in preparing minority students to study and practice architecture. The program is free of charge and offers scholarships to alumni.

In addition, the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture and the American Institute of Architecture Students both maintain exhaustive list of summer programs, many focused on high school students interested in the profession. Most programs offer some need-based scholarships and financial aid. For those considering higher education, the ACSA also hosts a Virtual Career Expo that links prospective students with university representatives.

Hip-Hop Architecture Camps

These one-week camps introduce youth to architecture, urban planning, creative place making, and economic development through the lens of hip-hop culture. Founder and instructor Mike Fordbelieves the hip-hop generation “will champion this new vernacular, and rely on our love for hip-hop coupled with our architectural knowledge, to build our communities and increase the number of minority practitioners.” Free and open to students ages 10-17 who complete the application process, the camps use hip-hop culture as an entryway to learn about S.T.E.A.M. (science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics) topics.

NAACP ACT-SO Initiative

ACT-SO—which stands for Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological, and Scientific Olympics—is a year-long achievement program put on by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. High school students work with mentors to develop projects in 29 competition areas, including architecture. Students can select up to three topics in which to compete. Competitions begin at a local level, with winners advancing to a national stage.

Robert A.M. Stern Wins 2017 AIA/ACSA Topaz Medallion

(via Architect Magazine)

Today, the American Institute of Architects and the Association of the Collegiate Schools of Architecture (ACSA) named Robert A.M. Stern, FAIA, as the 2017 winner of the AIA Topaz Medallion for Excellence in Architecture Education, the highest honor given to educators in architecture. The AIA has been granting individuals this award since 1976 for their dedication to education and influence over students of architecture.

Robert A.M. Stern, FAIA, was recognized by the AIA and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture for his dedication to educating students of architecture.

Robert A.M. Stern, FAIA, was recognized by the AIA and the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture for his dedication to educating students of architecture.

“He loves the debate, the conversation,” says architect Deborah Berke, FAIA, who succeeded Stern as dean of the Yale School of Architecture this summer. “He wants to hear arguments and discussions.”

Stern has expressed his dedication to the advancement of architecture education and architectural innovation through his projects, teaching, and writing. After receiving an M.Arch. from Yale University in 1965, he co-founded Stern & Hagmann in 1969. He then returned to Columbia University as a professor of architecture and director of the Historic Preservation Program at the Graduate School of Architecture, Planning, and Preservation, where he lectured for more than 20 years while also managing major projects and holding various titles. His next firm, Robert A.M. Stern Architects (RAMSA) was founded in 1977. At RAMSA, Stern personally supervises the design of each project that the firm develops. The 300-person office functions as a teaching institution, producing both experienced alumni and eager-to-learn apprentices.

Photo courtesy of John Jacobson | Yale School of Architecture

Photo courtesy of John Jacobson | Yale School of Architecture

Since the birth of RAMSA, the terms New Urbanism and New Classical Architecture have been coined, and both describe styles in which Stern has always been fluent. RAMSA’s postmodern reputation for blending tradition with modernity has circulated around the world, and the firm’s success has made it one of the biggest in the world. In 1984, Stern received the AIA New York Chapter’s Medal of Honor and the Chapter’s President’s Award in 2001.

As an academic writer, he has published several books and papers, including New Directions in American Architecture (Braziller, 1969), Modern Classicism(Rizzoli, 1988), and his most recent, Pedagogy and Place: 100 Years of Architecture Education at Yale (Yale University Press, 2016).

Photo courtesy of Yale Alumni Magazine

Photo courtesy of Yale Alumni Magazine

The 2017 Topaz Medallion jury: Stephen Vogel, FAIA, University of Detroit; Mercy Geraldine Forbes Isais, Associate AIA, University of New Mexico; Sharon Johnston, FAIA, Johnston Marklee & Associates; Chere R. LeClair, AIA, LeClair Architects; Sarah Wahlgren, AIAS, American Institute of Architecture Students.

(via Architect Magazine)