Did you know that ArcWest has a Denver Public Schools (DPS) intern working with us in the office?
Meet 17-year-old Jose Vega-Sanchez. He’s a Senior at Denver’s CEC Early College, a DPS high school where students can take free college-level courses and work toward a college degree or industry certification.
Through the program, students take rigorous industry-focused classes. For Jose, those classes were focused on the architecture field. The program also encourages students to pursue work-based learning opportunities, such as internships.
“After I completed all the architecture classes in my high school, I started thinking about what to do next,” shares Jose.
Jose decided to apply for an internship through his school’s program. That’s how he got connected with ArcWest, who recently became a DPS Launch Internship Program partner.
“For all of us at ArcWest, Denver is our community and we care deeply about it. One of the ways we’re committed to giving back is by mentoring youth like Jose who are exploring potential career paths, including architecture,” says Robin Adams, ArcWest Partner.
While Jose continues his studies to work toward graduation this Spring, he will also complete a total of 100 hours at ArcWest, learning the inner workings of an architecture firm by working directly with ArcWest staff and getting to work directly on projects.
“Being able to work with ArcWest has been a really good experience,” shares Jose. “I have been learning about all the different things an architect does – like field measuring, zoning, and building plans in the computer software. What I want to get out of this internship is the experience of working with professionals and more knowledge in the architecture field. This is giving me an idea about a future career I may want to take.”