Learn about Payette's approach to the Architecture/Design High School Internship program.
High school interns, Alfredo and Ashley, exploring a Payette project with the fabrication team.
Image Credit: Payette
Each year, the Architecture/Design High School Internship invites firms to host high school interns for a 6-week architecture experience. High school interns, Boston Public School (BPS) students (Grades 10-12), are immersed into the fundamentals of architecture, the design process, and their first professional experience. For the program’s duration each July-August, firms host the interns in the office 3-4 days per week with all interns gathering on Fridays with the BSA. All firms are supported by program partners, the Boston Society for Architecture (BSA) and the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC), who aim to provide early career pathways for local youth. This year's program is supported by the AIA College of Fellows.
During this summer’s internship, the BSA stopped by host firms to hear from interns about their experience and connect with design professionals involved in the internship. We’ll be chronicling lessons from the visits through our Firm Profile series and encourage you to follow along.
Payette began participating in the high school internship program in 2020, beginning with 1 intern and continuing to host 2 interns each summer since. After their first summer, the firm reflected on their experience and developed a structured curriculum. The curriculum has been utilized each summer since and provides an exploratory architecture experience ideal for first-year high school interns.
This summer, the firm hosted 2 interns: Alfredo Pichardo and Ashley Ramirez Jimenez, rising BPS seniors. For both interns, this was their first experience learning about architecture/design. The 6-weeks equipped them with skillsets and thought processes to bring into senior year and beyond.
By hosting the high school internship and participating in other educational programs, Payette aims to contribute to a larger discourse on architecture through teaching, mentoring, and giving back.
Alongside the curriculum, Payette has an established schedule for its high school internship. Each week follows a similar schedule, providing regularity for interns and set times for design professionals to plug-in. Each morning, interns begin their day learning the fundamentals of architecture. Instructors take turns facilitating 2 mini courses: Design Discovery each Tuesday/Thursday and Skills Workshop each Wednesday. After the daily lesson, interns have a 4-hour block for independent work time and office engagements. Depending on the day, interns spend this time advancing their projects or engaging with others at Payette. Each afternoon wraps up with a 1-hour block for continued project work. Mentors use this time to check in with interns on their progress, provide feedback, and answer questions.
Tying each week together is the interns’ design project: a small pavilion in a nearby park. Each week’s coursework and lessons feed directly into the project. Interns learn the basics of spatial thinking in the Arch101 setting of Design Discovery, while building up their analog/digital skills in Skills Workshop. The facilitators encourage them to utilize these learnings to advance their design concepts.
Supplementary to facilitated lessons and project work, the internship coordinators incorporate mentor lunches and tours each week. During mentor lunches, interns meet with professionals across disciplines and roles in the firm, hear about their experiences, and ask questions. The tours bring interns off-site, exploring a mix of nearby architectural sites and Payette projects. To fulfill this schedule, the Payette team circulates roles through the summer and encourages a wide swath of staff to get involved in the interns’ experience.
Similar to other host firms, the interns spend 4-days per week (Monday-Thursday) in the office. All interns spend Fridays off-site with BSA K-12 for their Summer Fridays series.
To plan and coordinate the internship, Payette engages a variety of design professionals in the office. 1-2 Program Coordinators handle the planning and administration of the internship at large. Course Coordinators then plan weekly courses and office engagements. Course Coordinators also coordinate with Instructors, who facilitate individual lessons, tutorials, and project check-ins.
Payette has found this approach beneficial for interns and professionals alike. It provides ways for staff to get involved based on capacity and lightens the load for individuals amidst project schedules. By fostering connections with more people at the firm, interns also learn from many perspectives and grow more comfortable within a large office setting.
For many staff involved, they are encouraged by wanting to give back to the next generation and creating positive experiences for students early in their career paths. Kirk Dixon, Jr. reflected on his own experience and how beneficial the support of a mentor would have been in his trajectory. “I enjoy the opportunity to share my experience, kind of my own full circle journey through architecture,” he said. He continued, sharing that he and other professionals can make the process easier for the next generation by providing guidance to understand their interests and find their own path. For design professionals like Kirk, they often begin as Instructors or Mentors at Payette and grow to take on new roles in the internship with each summer. Across roles, the Payette team aims to be available to the interns and assist them within, and beyond, the internship.
Kirk encouraged those interested in getting involved to first think about “ourselves at that age, life as a high school student, and what we might have needed.” By honing in on what is useful for the interns, the experience can equip them with the right tools and information to make informed decisions. Through the summer experience, interns can find what resonates with their own interests and feel supported by a network of professionals to pursue their chosen paths.
For Alfredo, now a BPS senior, he was looking for a hands-on experience that could channel his interests into a future career path. He previously participated in PIC high school internships the past 2 summers, but Payette provided his first experience with architecture. Alfredo shared what led him to pursue the internship: “The first time hearing about [architecture], I was like, “Oh, wow, it's a mixture of two things I like- art and math. There’s also not only one set path you can go down, there's plenty across [AEC fields].” Alfredo plans to continue exploring his interests throughout senior year, both applying to college and exploring a route in the trades. For first year interns like Alfredo, the exploratory nature of Payette’s program provides a unique opportunity to navigate their budding career interests within a professional setting.
For Ashley, also now a BPS senior, she came into the internship with interests in architecture and engineering from participating in her school’s engineering pathway. Her approach to the summer was three-fold: to learn about the many facets of architecture, build confidence in sharing her ideas, and get a sense if the profession felt right for her future. She shared how much she had learned while at the firm, from skillbuilding to design thinking, and how it contributed to the comprehensive view on architecture she had been looking for. The office atmosphere and people involved in the internship also had a profound impact on her, creating an encouraging, calm environment for her to confidently communicate her ideas. Ashley plans to continue exploring her interests through her senior year.
As Emily Miyares, Architect and Program Coordinator behind Payette’s approach, said, “When you’re trying to develop a talent pipeline, reaching students early is key! Architecture remains a field with an access and visibility problem - there is not widely available information about architectural careers in public schools, which means many passionate, talented kids select other paths based on what they are exposed to.” Payette’s commitment to the high school internship program and sharing its model with other firms is key to providing paths for today’s youth into the future of the profession.
This program is made possible by a network of collaborators at each firm, working to plan and facilitate the high school intern’s experience. Thank you to the Payette team, with special thanks to Program Coordinator, Emily Miyares; Program Coordinator/Instructor, Shreeya Shakya; Coordinator/Instructor, Calvin Boyd-Morlani; Design Discovery Coordinator, Kirk Dixon; Office Engagement Coordinators, Emily Chowdhury and Yoko Furuya; Skills Workshop Coordinator, Daniel Dudziak; Coordinator, Alejandra Meza; and Instructors, Kofi Akakpo, Dane Clark, Marlena Fleck, Ryan Gorday, Sandrine Heroux, Aria Hill, Matthew Mayberry, Claire Pawlecki, Yu Pei, Tracy Tang, Audrey Watkins, and Shao Yu Lu. Thank you also to the AIA College of Fellows for their support of the 2025 Architecture/Design High School Internship program.
With a significant gap between interested applicants (400+ across AEC) and current architecture placements (15), we are seeking additional firms to get involved for the 2026 high school internship. Not only will new participating firms have the support of the BSA and PIC, but a network of current host firms who are available to share insights, tools/resources, and more.
We are currently seeking firms to sign on to host for the 2026 season. To learn more and to get involved, please email Taylor Johnson (BSA), [email protected].
Payette’s internship model is highlighted in AIA K-12’s 2025 High School Internships Guide. For more information, check out the guide:
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