Mentors and mentees meeting during the program orientation, held at the New York City College of Technology (City Tech). Photo credit: Savonne Andrews/City Tech
The League Mentorship matches design professionals with students at local public architecture schools for one-on-one advising, mutual learning, and intergenerational community building during the academic year.
During the 2025/26 academic year, the Mentorship Program brought together 95 pairs of mentors and mentees from four architecture programs: Brooklyn’s New York City College of Technology (City Tech), Harlem’s Spitzer School of Architecture at City College of New York, and two programs based in New Jersey, Michael Graves College of Architecture & Design at Kean University and New Jersey Institute of Technology’s Hillier College of Architecture & Design.
At City Tech, mentors and mentees speaking to one another. Photo credit: Savonne Andrews/City Tech
The mentors and mentees met regularly throughout the academic year, with mentors offering guidance and support as their mentees prepared for careers in architecture and design. In addition to the orientation event held at City Tech, the League organized a full-cohort visit to the office of Sciame Construction, providing participants with an introduction to the field of construction management. To celebrate a successful program cycle, participants gathered at the New York office of Gensler in May, where the Gensler staff prepared an expansive agenda for attendees, including portfolio reviews for mentees, technical demonstrations, and office tours.
Members of the Sciame Construction team presenting on construction management case studies during the Mid-Year Gathering hosted by Sciame.
Mentees participating in portfolio reviews during the End of Year Gathering hosted by Gensler.
In this eighth year of the program, the League began working closely with a committee of experienced mentors—Ivan Himanen, Nadine Maleh, Lee Kuhn, Konrad Brzykcy, and Aditi Pancholi—to advise on the program and develop a series of small-group events for mentees. Mentor-led programs included a panel discussion on the often overlooked phases of the architectural process titled “So… What Does an Architect Actually Do?,” as well as an online portfolio and resume review session and an architect-led tour of the Maplewood Memorial Library in Maplewood, New Jersey.
The inaugural Mentor Committee presenting, along with Andrew Magnus, on phases of the design process from first pitch to post-occupancy at the League’s office.
Mentor Lee Kuhn leading a tour of Sage & Coombe’s 2025 expansion and renovation of the Maplewood Memorial Library.
Support
This program is made possible by the members and supporters of The Architectural League of New York, and by the J. Clawson Mills Scholarship Fund. Additional support is provided by the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Support is also provided by the Next Generation Fund, which supports the League’s investment in early-career architects and designers and provides unified support for the League Prize, Emerging Voices, and the League’s Student and Mentorship Programs.
The orientation was hosted by the New York City College of Technology.
The mid-year gathering was hosted by Sciame Construction.
The end-of-year gathering was hosted by Gensler.
