Source: Taubman College
Josephine Majid with her work from ArcStart. Photo by Devin O’Neill
Josephine Majid with her work from ArcStart. Photo by Devin O’Neill
Josephine Majid has always been good at drawing and recently took an interest in buildings, especially the homes in her neighborhood on Detroit’s East Side. The rising junior at Detroit’s Renaissance High School had been considering architecture as a career but wasn’t sure it was right for her.
“Before I was fully set on it, I felt like I needed to have some type of experience to let me know what architecture could be in the future,” she said.
When Josephine learned about the ArcStart program at Taubman College, it sounded like a perfect opportunity to gain that hands-on experience.
“When they told me it was three weeks away at college, I was like, ‘That’s even better!’” she said.
The intensive, residential pre-college program helps high school students build their personal portfolios and explore architecture through designing, sketching, building models, collaborating, and participating in critiques, all while making new friends from around the world.
A new iteration
This year’s cohort was the largest in the program’s 15-year history, with 69 students representing 19 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and four countries.
“This has been a highlight of the program for as long as it’s been around … mixing perspectives, people, and different backgrounds to inform the work that’s being done here,” said Jacob Comerci, ArcStart director, managing director of Academic Initiatives, and a lecturer in architecture at Taubman College. “The exchange is mutual: students bring as much to the experience as our Taubman College team does.”
