Through the Rice School of Architecture’s Summer Immersion program, local high school students can explore their passion for architecture while soaking in what it’s like to live on campus at a prestigious university.
The program, offered in collaboration with the Rice Office of STEM Engagement (R-STEM), is designed for Houston-based high school students who have an interest in applying to architecture school. The two-week, hands-on workshop introduces participants to the principles of architecture and design. The students interact with Rice faculty and current students as well as practicing architects, while staying on campus during the program.
“After quite a few years of experience doing undergraduate admissions, I realized how hard it is for students without access to architecture-related courses in their high school or the privilege to enroll in extracurricular programs to be prepared for a college application with a portfolio,” said Reto Geiser, associate professor of architecture and organizer of Summer Immersion.
“The goal of this program is to give students from the Houston area from predominantly underserved communities an opportunity to explore architecture and to understand what architecture is. There are many kinds of professional pathways out of architecture school, and we want to help them to build projects that they can eventually include in a portfolio.”
Geiser, who began the program four years ago, said the experiences gained during this event often include many firsts for participating students.
“They get to spend two weeks living on campus and get exposed to college life. Many of them will be first-generation college students, and this opens up the possibility for them that Rice or any university could be part of their future,” he said.
“Many of these students have never been here before. Most of them have never been to the Menil Collection. Some of them have never been to the Houston Zoo. Things that we take for granted are not necessarily accessible to many in our community.”
Geiser has been working with R-STEM on a research project to see how participating students’ spatial reasoning skills improve through the program. Through research involving results from other STEM camps, they are able to quantify how much an architecture camp like this one prepares students for spatial comprehension.
For Logan Spahn, a rising senior at Barbers Hill High School, his interest in architecture bloomed from a love of LEGOs and inspiration drawn from his aunt, who introduced him to painting and pottery. He said he began looking for opportunities to learn more about college architecture programs and found the Rice Architecture Summer Immersion program online.
“This was the perfect opportunity for me to explore an activity that I would really enjoy doing and become immersed in the life and the way things are here at Rice University,” Spahn said. “I’m really happy to be involved in this amazing opportunity.”
Spahn raved about how exciting it’s been to experience campus life at Rice while staying at McMurtry College, learning what it takes to pursue his passion and making friends along the way.
“Coming into this camp, I knew I had an interest in architecture, but I wasn’t sure what the major and career encompassed entirely,” he said. “But now that I’ve gotten a glimpse into what the field has and requires, I’ve learned that it’s definitely something that I’d like to pursue in the future.
“I’ve also gotten to develop relationships with all the campers, and we’ve all become friends. It’s really a blast, and I’m hoping we all stay friends after the camp’s over.”
Paola Hernandez, a rising senior from Dekaney High School, said she always had an interest in art and design. After searching for camps to learn more about pursuing her passion, she stumbled upon the Rice Architecture Summer Immersion program and said she was overjoyed when she did.
“I checked the website every single day and would reload it to see if I could apply yet,” Hernandez said. “After I applied and waited anxiously, I was so happy when I got accepted.
“It’s been absolutely insane. I wake up every day at 7, and usually I would get upset that I’m waking up at 7, but being here makes me so happy because I’m learning … about something that I’m interested in.”