Summer Youth CoLab Program is a six-week design immersion program developed and implemented during my internship at the Neighborhood Design Center (NDC) in Columbus. The program introduced local high school students, many with no prior exposure, to the fields of architecture, urban design, graphic design and community development, while building a more diverse and inclusive pipeline into design professions.
Aligned with approaches seen in participatory design studios, the program blended research, making, and public engagement. I helped shape the curriculum, create instructional materials. I supported students during site visits, where I explained how design decisions shape neighborhoods, businesses, and public spaces.
The program blended economic and community development with design education, culminating in student-led proposals to refresh the exterior of a local business based on ideas developed throughout the six-week schedule. Through this work, students learned not only how design is practiced, but how it can function as a tool for community engagement, storytelling, and local impact.
This experience strengthened my skills in curriculum design, participatory facilitation, and community-based design, while reinforcing my interest in using design as a means to expand access, representation, and agency within the built environment.
