Earlier in July, the Sasaki Foundation kicked off the Summer Exploratory Experience in Design (SEED) program in partnership with American Student Assistance, a six-week paid internship structured holistically around introducing young high school students to the world of design.  

Over the last few weeks, students from Belmont Hill School, Boston Latin Academy, Edward Brooks High School, Groton High School, and Waldorf High School have been working on a design for a pop-up parklet centered around voter registration. A parklet is a sidewalk extension that provides more space and amenities for people using the street. Usually, parklets are installed in one or several parking spaces and offer a place to stop, to sit, and to rest while taking in the activities of the street.

Students have been working closely with Sasaki designers and mentors, who have been providing access to world class projects, conducting design charrettes, teaching hand-sketching and computer-drawing skills, and so much more. Sasaki mentors have been able to share their backgrounds and expertise based on their practices in architecture, landscape architecture, and urban planning, which has helped to guide students throughout the process of designing their parklet. Students have also participated in interviews with Sasaki principals Christine Dunn, Michael Grove and Mary Anne Ocampo and CEO James Miner, and sketching field trips to the Watertown Public Library and Perkins School for the Blind.

“We have been pleased to see how engaged students have been throughout the internship thus far, from learning all about the various aspects of design to seeing their creativity soar in creating their parklet design,” said Sasaki architect and SEED mentor Meredith McCarthy. “We hope this experience is the catalyst for the education and career paths they decide to embark upon.”

Through SEED, we aspire to help students learn how to create change, one project at a time. Our goal is to collectively build a culture of equity in the design field, by showing young students alternative career paths to industries they may never have known existed or were available to them. Looking forward to all that is still to come during the rest of this year’s SEED program!