AIA headquarters renewal interns visit Washington, D.C.

Before Soleil Sipes completes graduate school at Prairie View A&M University, she will have led a team of her professional peers.

Before Satchel Sandifer completes his junior year at Tuskegee University, he will have on-site construction hours to use toward licensure.  

Sandifer and Sipes are among eight participants in the AIA Headquarters Renewal Internship Project. The program recruits top students from Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to incorporate and engage aspiring architects in the renovation of AIA’s Washington, D.C., office space. In addition to their work on the renewal project, interns complete rigorous knowledge building in construction management, contracts, procurement, communication, and trade partnerships. AIA and Turner Construction incorporated content, resources and industry connections that will support the interns all along their professional journey. Mentorship from the project’s local architect, Hartman-Cox, as well as alliance partners across NOMA, AIAS, and NCARB are among the industry leaders who shared their time, experiences and expertise.

“It is invaluable,” said Sandifer about his experience and the opportunity to meet industry leaders. “The network—I can’t emphasis enough the amount of people I have met who have been so kind and helpful and just willing to give their wisdom.”

Students engaged with more than 50 presenters, representing professionals across the built environment, exploring topics like professional branding, workplace culture, community engagement, climate impact, and the value of a diverse workforce. While the experience offers significant value to the participants, Travis M. Hall, project executive at Turner Construction, says exposing emerging leaders to a project like the AIA building renewal serves the entire profession.

"It brings to the academic learning process the benefit of seeing practices that are new to the industry as the construction industry implements various practices addressing sustainability, inclusivity, and respect within the working environment on projects," says Hall. "The intern programs allow a student to experience the profession in a real-world application."

While in Washington, the group also toured the historic Octagon, visited the Intellistruct showroom, interacted with ACE Mentor DC students and met with the firm SmithGroup. The cohort concluded last week with final presentation where each student shared summaries of their experience, along with a highlight and visual interpretation of content from the prior eight weeks.

Then and now

AIA has long sourced input from its member and industry peers in decisions that will shape the organization’s headquarters. As plans for the original building began in 1964, AIA selected design plans from a competition with more than 200 entrants.  For the renewal, AIA invited interns to offer new ideas to guide the project. Recruiting HBCU students and graduates aligns with AIA’s commitment to supporting equity, diversity, and inclusion in efforts to ensure a more diverse and equitable profession.

Sipes, who was a part of the 2022 internship cohort, had such an impactful experience she was eager to return in 2023 as the lead intern.  She says having the internship on her resume has already made her a more valuable job candidate.

“I got more interest from firms and from people who were looking to hire,” she said. “I feel like I impressed a lot of them because I was in an internship with AIA—that’s impressive to people.”

Helping students stand out in the profession is one of many benefits of the AIA intern experience, said Prairie View A&M University Dean Dr. Ikhlas Sabouni, who nominated Sipes in 2022 and fellow particpant Alexis Adjorlolo this year.

"Working on the AIA headquarters facilities renovation project is a lifetime opportunity for these interns," says Dr. Sabouni. "These outstanding interns worked together as a team despite coming from different universities. They interacted and learned from the AIA leadership and established a very valuable network."

Making history

As AIA interns focus on their future, the history of the building and those who have worked in it are not lost on these young architects. “I was thinking as we walked through the building and they were talking about all the architects who had been there,” recalls Sandifer, who humbly recognizes he and his peers have also become an important part of AIA’s legacy. “I am probably not going to fully appreciate this for years later. I think about the impact this building has had on architecture across the world; I am not going to feel how special it was to be part of this for years to come. And that is honestly really nice—it’s nice when things only get more valuable as the years go on.”

2023 Interns

Soleil Sipes (Lead Intern) - Prairie View A&M University

Brian Montgomery - Hampton University

Ymani Guyton - Howard University

Alexis Adjorlolo - Prairie View A&M University

Aurora Konda - University of the District of Columbia

Satchel Sandifer - Tuskegee University

Matthew-Ahmad Moore  - University of the District of Columbia

Madisyn Hunter - Florida A&M University