Interns Design Their Own Career Pathway at Goody Clancy

Each year, Boston-based architecture firms work in partnership with the Boston Private Industry Council (PIC) and Boston Public Schools (BPS) to provide career exploration opportunities to high school students interested in pursuing a career in architecture. This summer, Amya Walters and Arthur Le interned at Goody Clancy, earning not only valuable work experience and in-depth knowledge of the field but also an understanding of whether they want to pursue architecture as a career.

“I was interested in trying architecture because I’ve always liked to draw and design. I’m always the first to volunteer for those types of assignments in school, so I thought architecture could be the right fit for me,” explained Amya, a rising senior at Boston Latin Academy.

Over the 6-week internship program, Amya gained a better understanding of the day-to-day life of an architecture professional and how there’s more to the job than just design work.

“I learned how to use SketchUp, AutoCAD, Photoshop, and a little InDesign and even built my own model. And I also learned that being an architect is not just designing buildings. There were many meetings with clients, talking to construction companies, and giving a lot of presentations, so I feel like I’ve improved on all these skills over the summer,” she said.

Amya is already excited to return to Goody Clancy next year for her senior year internship. “I’m looking forward to (another summer at Goody Clancy). I really like that the PIC gives you the option to reapply to the same employer because my mentors and I have already talked about if I wanted to reapply to Goody Clancy, I could. And that’s very exciting to me,” said Amya.

Like Amya, Arthur’s internship experience at Goody Clancy was eye-opening. Over the course of the summer, Arthur had a chance to meet and work with people around the firm, which has given him clarity about the future he hopes to pursue and the many different pathways to a successful career.

“I’m trying to find my way through life and what I’m going to do after college, and this internship helped me learn about a field that’s a possible future for me,” explained Arthur. “I think the coolest and most valuable experience I’ve had here was talking to the people and hearing about their journeys. It was really helpful to hear about other people’s paths and learn that it’s okay to take time and think about these things.

Arthur, now entering his senior year at Boston Latin, says while he learned this summer that architecture isn’t for him, he’s very interested in the field of construction. Next summer, he would like to try an internship in construction engineering.

“I think that I want to stay in this field of work, but maybe not architecture specifically. It was an excellent experience to work with architects because construction engineers and architects work together, so just having a little experience in this field helps,” he explained. “This internship has been very impactful for me because I was able to pick up so much experience about possible career choices. I really appreciate this internship for helping me decide about my future.”

Architecture firms interested in joining Goody Clancy in hosting high school interns can contact PIC STEM Employer Engagement Manager Mike Holland at mike.holland@bostonpic.org for more information.

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