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By Brent Brotine, Exhibit Host, Education Guide  and John Ivory, Education Guide, Docent Class of 2023
Photographs by Gina Wang

Imagine having the opportunity, as a high school student, to learn about architecture and design from world-class experts. Now, imagine having this opportunity at no cost as a young woman or person of color—populations that continue to be underrepresented in architecture, engineering, urban planning, and construction. Since its inception in 2015, the Chicago Architecture Center’s (CAC) Teen Fellows program has offered just that, in collaboration with Chicago Public Schools and City Colleges of Chicago.

Participants embark on the transformative journey by taking college courses, exploring Chicago’s built environment, visiting architecture firms, developing designs using computer-aided design (CAD) software, and creating physical models of their own designs. The time commitment includes six weeks for one summer and then every other Saturday during the following school year. After School Matters provides a stipend to cover personal expenses, and sponsors include the Old National Bank Foundation and Wintrust Bank Chicago.

At the culmination of their first year, participants present their work in a public forum, developing the confidence and skills to succeed in a client-driven career. The following semester, participants get the opportunity to work at a major firm like Studio Gang or SOM as a paid intern.

On Saturday morning May 4th, the 2024 class of 33 students — the largest in the program’s history — put their capstone projects on display at the Teen Fellows Showcase held at City Colleges of Chicago – Harold Washington College. For the past three semesters, the students have worked on designing a community center for Just Roots Chicago, a Community Supported Agriculture farm share program focused on expanding access to local, sustainably grown food. Each student had their poster board presentation, physical project model, and design portfolio on display for the nearly one hundred guests: parents, instructors, and prospective 2025 Teen Fellows.

After a meet-and-greet breakfast hour where students and guests could interact, the formal program was opened by CAC’s Georgina (Gina) Wang, who serves as Teen Fellows Program Coordinator (and is a prior participant herself.) Gina welcomed the audience and explained how the students have really thrown themselves into the world of architecture by taking multiple field trips, learning model-making, attending Open House Chicago, touring IIT, and more.

Gina then handed the podium over to CAC’s Angela Esposito, Senior Director of Learning and Community Engagement. Angela stressed how CAC programs like Teen Fellows and Girls Build are stamping out the “Old White Dudes” perception of what architects look like, changing the faces of who is sitting at the table. She stressed that the goal of Teen Fellows is not so much that everyone becomes an architect, but that people will be better able to appreciate the design process and built environment so they can lead future neighborhood endeavors.

Lastly, Ivanhoe (Ivan) Tejeda from the Art and Architecture Faculty at Harold Washington College had high praise for all the Teen Fellows in the room, current and past. Ivan invited some former Teen Fellows to introduce themselves and tell the audience what they are doing now. Then he presented a special video where the 2024 class members talked about their experiences with the program. Among the highlights:

“I like that architecture lets me increase my creativity and make a space that might make somebody feel happy. I ended up loving architecture with instructors like Ivan and Gina, and the program helped me take the step forward and go into architecture at IIT.” — Yadhira Hurtado

“Honestly, I went into this program on a whim because I wanted to explore different fields. I found out that I really just love architecture … the ways it can help communities pushed me forward to make it a career, and the knowledge I gained here helped me get a full tuition scholarship to IIT.” — Cody Lopez

“Well you learn a lot about architecture, but you learn about what it means to be an architect, what goes into the design process and what it really means to the people you’re building for.” — Donovan Chan

“I learned how to work as a team, that you shouldn’t procrastinate, and that you need to get it done. I didn’t expect to learn all the software we did: Rhino, Revit, SketchUp and AutoCAD. When I went to college visits, they talked about how I would learn that there.” — Ryan Silas

“After I completed the program, I was certain that this was for me. I like being able to show my creativity through a program filled with other people who are just as passionate about architecture. It was stressful, but the results were exciting.” — Silvia Ovalle

To learn more about the program or encourage a teen to apply, visit architecture.org/learn/teens/teen-fellows.

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