What do you want to be when you grow up? What a huge question that we ask students to answer at a point in their lives when they are just working on figuring out who they are at that moment.
Hosting high school students in our office has become a regular occurrence over the years. We believe that mentorship is not only a key component to the future of our industry, but simply put is the right thing to do. We want to help students figure out the right path to take before college, to answer the question What do you want to be when you grow up? Or at least what do you not want to be when you grow up. We have had students from a wide variety of high schools around the valley join us with some going on to architectural school and some finding out through their time in our office that architecture was not the right path for them. This year we hosted a student, Ryan, from Eastern Mennonite High School.(past job shadow blogs here, here,here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here)
Here is his story:
The question, ‘what do you plan to do after graduation?’ is really hard for a high school student to grasp as the scope of opportunities and jobs available to them is unknown. So for my junior year, I signed up for an internship at Gaines Group Architects. This is a 12-week internship (job shadow) where for about an hour and a half each day before heading to school I had a chance to be in their architectural office to see, hear, observe, and learn.
While most people would assume an architect’s job would be to design immediately on computers, Charles directed me through the thought process and the restrictions real life can play on a project. We looked online for a plot of land for sale and brainstormed our ‘client’ and their requirements. These things would play into my clients’ budget and restrictions on how I could design the house. For anything I wanted to design, I needed to justify value for the design decision.
I was given the goal of making a 3 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 1300 square foot house. This right off the bat was extremely difficult because a lot of the standard living sizes for several rooms would require more square feet than I was provided. Charles used this to help me realize that sometimes, customers might come in with unrealistic goals and it is our job to find the best compromise for them. This house is for a younger family with 2 kids so it needs to be large enough for the family but also big enough that they could resell it if/when they are ready to upgrade.
I learned several of the basic principles for designing a house from sketching to spending the first couple of weeks just designing and reiterating the house on paper. I learned how to draw different wall thicknesses and how to think reasonably space. By the end of the first month, I had completed a paper sketch of the house for my ‘client’ that was 1614 square ft.
I have always loved designing and creating new things with my hands or on online design programs, and drawing the house on paper was my favorite part of the process. The next step was for me to learn another design software, Trimble Sketchup.
Trimble Sketchup is an online CAD software that allowed me to design the entire home on my Chromebook. This process is what I spent the last 9-10 weeks of the internship working on. I learned, experimented, and then implemented new and different building techniques into the house. I was able to import furniture and utilities to create a complete 3D model of what the house might look like if it was built in real life.
We loved celebrating together in 2022 all the architecture fun things, special days, and events! We are a small team and many of us have been together for many years understanding the overall goals of the firm and joining together to achieve them. We look for ways to infuse fun into every project while supporting our community and each other.
This year several of us kicked off the new year by attending the Young Architect Winter Series. This gathering of like minded designers focused on making us better people so we can be the best architects possible. Read more here.
We hold to our belief that it requires action, time, and energy to build a stronger, more vibrant community. Community has many scales and our collective actions create a ripple effect. Last week Charles had a full schedule of events and he was reminded of the value each of us plays in serving our community. He attended his regular Tuesday morning Rotary Club of Rockingham County meeting which focused on Polio vaccinations around the world. This terrible disease is very close to eradication but simultaneously on the brink of another worldwide outbreak. The work of Rotarians to raise awareness, money, and to take action has made a significant difference with now only two countries in the world reporting wild Polio cases. As an aside, there has been a minor outbreak in a small community in New York, but it is not reported as a wild outbreak. These cases in New York remind everyone of the critical importance of vaccinations.
After Rotary, Charles headed South to Mary Baldwin University to talk sustainability with business majors. The first class he participated in consisted of freshman students who were eager to discuss and learn how an architect applies sustainability to their work. The excellent conversation and questions showed these students have deep desires to understand the impacts business has on the environment how they can be a part of creating a better future for everyone. The second class was a small group of students who have a primary focus and deep understanding of sustainability in business. The conversation was focused on how to build a sustainable business using the three principles of sustainability; people, planet, and profit.
Charles hit the road after meeting with the MBU students and went directly to Eastern Mennonite School for a second day of teaching Sketch Up and floor plan creation to high school students. The class is tasked with designing a 900 square foot house with 1 bedroom and 1 bathroom as a tool to learn this software and create three dimensional spaces.
To round out his day of service, Charles participated in a spirit night that he helped organize at Harmony Square Dairy Queen. Named “Pints for Polio” this twist on a traditional fundraiser is an annual event that raises Polio awareness in a family0friendly environment.
Not all of our days can be this jam-packed with community service, but is not lost on us how it takes many hands and willing hearts to intentionally build a better, stronger, more vibrant community.
Charles with students from Eastern Mennonite School picking up trash.
It was a busy weekend for Rockingham Rotary Club and Eastern Mennonite School’s Interact Club as they teamed up to pick up trash along Rt. 42 in Rockingham County. As a sponsor and liaison between these two clubs, Charles helps these clubs collaborate on projects. This clean up effort happens twice a year and and is necessary for keeping our community clean. The sunshine and cheerful volunteers made this weekend’s cleanup extra special!
The work of Rotary is known around the world for putting service above self. This organization’s main work is to eradicate Polio worldwide, to build friendships through service to the community, and to make the world a better place. Charles says that seeing the energy and enthusiasm of the Interact members inspires him to do more service for the community. If you want to be involved in serving your community or have a potential service project, feel free to reach out to Charles to learn more about the power of Rotary or learn more here and here.
Later into the weekend, we were thrilled to join the 10th Anniversary celebration of the Scholars Latino Initiative. This organization goes beyond an after-school program or mentor pairing system or college preparation group. SLI is a family that supports each other to help fulfill dreams, break down barriers, share frustrations, and achieve goals. Their mission reads “Scholars Latino Initiative supports Latino/a/x high school students with college access through rigorous academic challenge, leadership development, scholarships, and supportive mentorships.”
The celebration last night was filled with fun and friends as well as incredible Latino inspired foods. There were celebrations of past successes and reunions of old friends. Lua Project played a fusion of Appalachian and Latino music and the medleys were magical.
The important work being done through SLI is critical for our community. We all need to come together to help one another and those that are the most marginalized need systems in place like SLI to find their full potential.
Congratulations on 10 years, we look forward to the next decade.
University of Miami life has included a few fun days at Key Biscayne, a lot of late nights in the architecture studio, and a ton of thinking about my future career as a licensed architect. Despite only being a rising third year at the University of Miami’s School of Architecture, I have found myself frequently wondering what it is like to be a real architect. Throughout my two years of school, I have learned software after software, great design skills, and how to make a snazzy layout for a final pinup, but I had not exactly grasped what day-to-day life is like for a licensed architect working in a firm. I wanted more information and experience so I started looking for opportunities.
A job shadowing position at Gaines Group Architects was the perfect answer to my question. I met with my mentor, Charles Hendricks, for two and a half months over the summer. I currently live in Miami, so going to the Virginia-based firm in person was not an option. Charles and I worked out an option to do a virtual job shadowing position where I could get a glimpse of his current projects and design a new project of my own. I met with Charles on Zoom (link to zoom website) once a week and was able to receive invaluable feedback on my design while gaining insight into his responsibilities as the principal architect at Gaines Group Architects.
I have been interested in architecture since I was young. Whether I was designing houses on Minecraft and The Sims or printing out blueprints and drawing over them, I was always finding ways to create and design. The first time I met Charles was over two years ago when I was deciding whether or not to major in architecture in college. Charles told me getting an architecture degree would not be easy and is accompanied by a lot of late nights, but it is worth it if architecture is what I truly enjoy. After that conversation I knew architecture was the major for me, even knowing it is challenging.
Now, speaking as someone with two years of a degree under her belt, architecture school is the hardest thing I have ever done. I have Studio, my main class, for three hours every other day. Honestly, studio controls my life. Once the class is finished, I stay in the studio and continue to work all day, otherwise, there is no way I will get to bed before 4 a.m. Weekends are reserved for projects, not partying. Getting an architecture degree takes discipline, but I am able to make it through because I love the work I am doing. If I could give one piece of advice to someone considering going to architecture school, it would be to only go into this degree if it really captivates your interest and is something you could work on consistently for hours every single day. Yes, architecture school is hard, but it is the only way to become an architect, so it is worth it to me.
When Charles offered me a virtual job shadowing position for the summer, I was very eager to take advantage of the opportunity to learn more about architecture post-college. College architecture is all that I know, and although the degree is designed to prepare me for life after graduation, I still was not sure what it was like to be an architect working in a firm. A lot of the designs we do in college are not geared toward real-life clients, so it was hard to imagine designing catered to others’ wants and needs versus my own. For the job shadowing position, I decided to design my parents’ future home that they will be constructing in around five years. This project was the perfect way to experience designing something with real clients, but the clients are my parents, so it is okay if I mess up. I also took on the task of learning and using software I had never used before. Charles informed me that at his firm they use #SketchUp for 3D modeling. At the University of Miami, we use either Rhinoceros 3D or #Revit for digital model making, but I had heard before that Sketchup is a more commonly used software in firms, so I figured this summer would be a great time to learn, especially with Charles assisting me along the way.
Charles suggested the first step in this project be a #Zoom meeting with both of my parents, where I interview them as the “principal architect” and ask questions regarding their vision for their future dream home. Charles was very helpful in this process; he gave me a list of topics to discuss with my clients that allowed me to understand what sort of questions I will be asking my clients in the future.
My parents wanted a Pacific Northwest-style home with three bedrooms, three and a half bathrooms, an open floor plan, large living spaces, and kitchen, and most importantly, a giant covered porch. The house is going to be built on my parents’ land, so my next step would be to visit the site in person to get a feel for the topography and areas with the best views. Since I am in Miami, I could not visit the site myself. Thankfully, Charles was able to meet with my parents and visit the site, so then he could explain to me where and how the house should be positioned to warrant the best possible views of the property. The site is sloped, so I had to overcome the challenge of designing a home on a hill, which is obviously not a design issue I experience in Miami. Additionally, because I was unable to see the site in person, it was difficult at times to understand important design-affecting elements, such as how steep the incline of the land is and the location of the existing driveway in relation to the site. Charles helped me through these challenges and gave me great insight as to how to design a home with a sensible layout that is also in-budget, structurally sound, and up-to-par with my parent’s stylistic requirements.
I started my design process with sketches and drafts of floor plans and elevations. Through the drafting stage, I learned a lot about how to stay on budget and how particular elements like having a lot of angles, too spread out of a floorplan, or a complex roof can quickly make the cost of the building increase. I learned to simplify and condense design elements to fit my parents’ budget, which is something I have not had to do in college architecture due to the fact that we are not designing for a real client with a real budget.
After I had a more solidified floor plan, I used AutoCAD to further its development. I found it very beneficial to have “clients” to reference when I had a particular design question. In architecture school, the student makes all the design decisions and caters the project to his or her own desires, but for this project, I got a taste of what it is like to design for somebody else rather than myself. I was able to ask my clients what they exactly wanted, so essentially the clients were making all the tough decisions for me.
Next, I brought my floor plans into SketchUp and began 3D modeling. SketchUp was far more user-friendly than any other 3D modeling software I have used, so I had a great time playing around with the form of the house and making changes to the floor plan accordingly. I found it to be much easier to quickly go from an incomplete model to a finished model with materials and landscaping in SketchUp than it is in any other 3D modeling software, so I am very grateful Charles suggested I learn the program. Additionally, I now have another skill to add to my resume and another unique design piece to add to my portfolio.
As part of this job shadowing experience, I also got an inside look at what Charles is working on and the sorts of projects he receives at his firm. It was very interesting to see the grand scope of projects he is juggling all at once, from a giant book warehouse to a bagel store to a gorgeous home. I realized that architecture can be whatever I want to make it in the future, and I can specialize in literally any field of architecture I desire. I also realized that it gets better. Architecture is not an easy profession by any means, but at least it seems that the all-nighters will stop after college.
Getting an architectural degree can feel defeating at times, but this job shadowing experience gave me hope for my future as a licensed architect. I would recommend anyone considering majoring in architecture, or even already working on their architecture degree, to job shadow an architect. I gained so much from my job shadowing experience: I learned new software, received amazing feedback on my own work, gained insight into the work and daily life of a busy architect, and designed a dream home for my parents. Thanks to Charles and Gaines Group Architects, I can now picture my future as a working architect and I am looking forward to it more than ever.
Everyone who works closely with Charles knows of his heart for serving others and his mission to build a better community. His leadership and efforts were officially recognized by Rotary as he was the recipient of the 110% Award in 2022. This special designation is given to an individual who grows the mission of Rotary, carries out responsibilities exceptionally, and makes significant leadership contributions. He intentionally looks for ways to put #servicebeforeself and shares his intentions with others. He points out that his work is just a small part of what Rotary does for the community and a small part of what the Rotary Club of Rockingham County does in the community.
Charles being awarded the 110% Award.
Whether volunteering with fellow Rotarians or tackling pro-bono architecture projects, Charles is making a lasting impact in our community and we are so proud of him. His efforts are a small piece of the puzzle in creating a stronger, better community and he inspires many of us to do the same. As he says, the power of Rotary is the people you volunteer with and the difference you can make when you all come together.
February 17th we celebrated kindness on 
