Learn about RODE's approach to the Architecture/Design High School Internship program.
Model-making progress for the high school intern's pavillion project.
Image Credit: RODE Architects
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.
RODE began participating in 2024, hosting 1 intern for their first summer and increasing to 2 interns this year. After jumping in closer to the start date last summer, the RODE team returned enthusiastically to join the full spring planning and summer internship process. For their second year, the team incorporated intern feedback and lessons from other host firms to streamline their internship curriculum.
This summer, the firm hosted 2 interns: Sophia Barros and Elisander Tejada, rising BPS seniors and second-year high school interns. Sophia returned as a second-year high school intern to the architecture sector, while Elisander participated in architecture for the first time after a previous PIC internship in the financial sector.
RODE took many lessons from their first year on how best to incorporate a high schooler into the firm for their first architecture experience. By asking themselves 1) what they wanted interns to learn from the experience and 2) what design knowledge and skills were most useful to this age group, they were able to develop a solid foundation for years to come. RODE’s approach to the internship, iterating ideas, testing techniques, and learning from their users (interns), can be useful for all firms interested in participating.
Heading into this year with a revised approach to the internship, RODE streamlined the interns’ schedule and centered the experience around a new independent design project. The framework, lessons, and project prompt developed by the internship team also creates a plan to utilize with future high school interns. RODE incorporated the independent design project based on past intern feedback. The project tasked interns with designing a public pavilion in a nearby park to address a key user need. Between the small project scale and site location, interns had the opportunity to study the site’s patterns (sun studies, foot traffic, etc) and customize their designs to benefit park-goers.
As RODE learned from other host firms, having a small-scale project to work on allows students to test their skills (drawing, model-making, etc.) and have an avenue to develop their thought process around design. It also provides an outlet for interns to focus on building time management skills and meet deadlines during daily blocks of independent work.
Focusing the interns’ experience around the design project also allowed the daily and weekly structure to benefit both staff and interns. Each morning, interns explored a new skill or task related to the design project; these lessons were led by 1 emerging professional and supported by a college intern. Each afternoon, interns worked independently and shared their progress with a staff member during a daily check-in. The interns’ skill-building and project work culminated in a weekly pinup each Thursday.
Interns presented their ideas each week to other professionals in the office to gain new perspectives in their work. The weekly pinup not only encouraged interns to exercise their public speaking skills and communicate design ideas, but a small-scale way for other professionals to plug into the interns’ experience. By summer’s end, interns presented their final design project and new portfolio (hand drawings, digital drawings, and models) to the firm.
Beyond their introductory design lessons and skill-building, interns also are encouraged to get involved within the office. They contributed to ongoing project documentation and material organization efforts. During their time at RODE, interns not only learned the fundamentals of architecture, but gained a glimpse into the inner workings of a life at a firm.
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, RODE has a core team of Internship Coordinators, composed of 2 emerging professionals and 1 administrator. While the designers spend time developing the interns’ project, the administrator handles scheduling the interns’ time and coordinating with staff. They also involve a college intern as an Internship Mentor for the high school students.
For RODE, the high school internship is an extension of their Youth Engagement Committee’s efforts to engage Boston Public School students through architecture/design. With some of the team growing up in Boston and understanding the differences in school resources, they wanted to provide an opportunity for students to explore their creativity, build transferable skills, and have a unique experience beyond what schools offer.
Jeanette DeChiara, HR Manager, shared that in terms of employee engagement and fulfillment, having new perspectives in the office creates a fresh, rewarding atmosphere. Evident during the BSA’s visit was the camaraderie built between the interns and RODE team through daily conversations and learnings. For emerging professionals, this is also a tangible opportunity to mentor and reflect on their own experiences.
The team also wanted to empower interns with the knowledge needed for their paths, including transparency around barriers surrounding architecture school and the profession. For high school students, these early professional conversations and connections often shape their trajectory and future path.
With a foundation of education and the profession, RODE underscored their desire to leave a lasting impact on interns by encouraging them to see design in their own lives. " One of our many goals is to get students to think critically about the built environment and think about the spaces that they're in. To think about the fact that spaces are designed by someone and you can affect that for the better by attending community meetings and advocating for a better built environment,” said Katya Stassen, designer and internship coordinator. Davis Turner, designer and internship coordinator, also shared, “Whether a student becomes an architect or not, they gain skills and thought processes to get involved in their own neighborhoods.”
For Elisander, now a senior at BPS, he had previously had 1 PIC internship in another sector, but was seeking a new, creative outlet for his interests this year. He had previously learned about architecture from a family friend in middle school, but it wasn’t until his school’s Career Specialist recommended this opportunity that he took the plunge into architecture. “Explaining my ideas to people who are double my age and [haven’t] seen my perspective on the world got to see how it is.. Hearing someone else say, ‘It’s nice to see how you think of the city and how the city plays a big part in your life’ made me feel happy because someone’s listening to how I view the world.. and taking time to listen to young people," he said. Although he plans to pursue another career path, Elisander realized his potential in new areas, confidently shared his ideas alongside professionals, and has a toolbelt of transferrable skills from his time at RODE.
For Sophia, now a senior at BPS, this is her second professional experience in architecture. Having completed her first high school internship last summer with Bergmeyer, she continued exploring her interests this year at RODE. Sophia used her time at RODE to further investigate her design interests, build up ideas into concrete designs, and to expand her ways of thinking. She shared that the design challenges “pushed [her] to think critically about architecture, how it impacts people, and the contents within what the purpose of it is.” During her second high school internship, she focused on absorbing as much information as possible about her two interest areas: architecture and interior design. Equipped with skills, confidence, and new connections for the future, Sophia plans to select her path and apply to college this fall.
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 RODE team, with special thanks to Internship Coordinators, Jeanette DeChiara, Katya Stassen, and Davis Turner; and Internship Mentor, Sam Stayn. 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].
What are you looking for?