Student Excerpts

█ “I was always excited to be greeted by the fa-12 miliar 'Hola!' and the short back and forth that would follow. This was from the gentleman who collected the garbage from under our desks at the end of each workday; we had formed a warm comradery of sort during my time on coop. And while a fully Hispanic cleaning staff in an overwhelmingly white office was always deeply unsettling to me, our daily conversations were often the only moments of BIPOC solidarity I had during those four months.”

█ “We had a design charrette where another white 13 male and I were the only interns during the session. I worked 2 weeks on the site model we were showing the options on, and the final design we decided to go with was based on my iteration. He was the one who got to present the whole proposal to the partners and the client, and was recognized as the 'young man with unbelievable potential'.”

“...our daily conversations were often the only moments of BIPOC solidarity I had during those four months.”

█14 “In early February I had come down to the lunch room to heat up my food, then a few colleagues sat down at the table to eat. I joined in on the usual small talk going around until it hit a mull. Trying to continue the conversation I openly asked, 'are you all joining the office dim-sum lunch next Friday to celebrate Chinese New Year?' Most of them were in favor of the free meal and social event, but one had spoken out. 'I think I’m going to pass - with this whole virus going around I’d like to avoid anywhere there’s gatherings of Chinese people'.” - Brandon Lim

█15 “After my first co-op, I realised the current mode of the profession was very much not built for people like me. It sometimes feels like an utter fluke that I’m even here and I question my position as I’ve progressed. It’s a luxury profession.

Especially for people with enough privilege to to have their rents paid by others as they slave away in unpaid internships, hoping for a moment of recognition that may or may not come. The irony of working on a multi-million dollar home while living in a boarding house with four other roommates is incredible.

“...feels like an utter fluke that I’m even here and I question my position as I’ve progressed.”

What’s more incredible are firms that reserve intern houses, crammed with bright-eyed students paid the absolute minimum that the country will allow. These are the very internships that schools and firms will boast, well aware of the horrid conditions these interns face. The biggest irony [is that] we proudly wear these experiences on our sleeves, accepting such a fate while simultaneously designing social housing projects, subtracting every extraneous program we can in hopes we could one day afford such a place.

Of course, it’s not everyone’s narrative. Many architects and students undoubtedly pour their souls into their work. But, those boards of recognition sing to their own tune of who is and who is not celebrated, and it’s no secret to see.

Times are changing and maybe it’s time to no longer glorify old white men whose ‘innovation’ continues this unhealthy legacy, perpetrating a culture against ‘those they seek to help’, while alienating Black and Brown people for decades.”