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DDC STEAM Participates in Stuyvesant High School Portfolio Building Workshop

On October 22nd, 2021, the NYC Department of Design and Construction’s Community Partnerships and STEAM Initiatives Unit partnered with ACE Mentor alum Md Hoque to host a virtual Portfolio Building Workshop with Syracuse University students and DDC STEAM and professional staff. Since 2019, Mr. Hoque has been an active participant in the ACE Mentor Program and has made significant contributions to the program.

Md Hoque is a freshman at Syracuse University, pursuing a degree in Architecture. Md was President and Founder of the Architecture Club at Stuyvesant High School. Early on, he observed a need for an accessible and affordable portfolio building workshop for students. Portfolios are an essential part of the application process for students applying to Art and Architecture programs. Mr. Hoque and fellow alum Kelly Guo conceived the Portfolio Building Workshop to provide their classmates with an opportunity to develop portfolio submissions for their college applications. Students also received guidance from his Syracuse University architecture classmates: Aviel Acevedo, Sofia Cisner, Claire Urbas Gavin Lui, and ACE Team 8 mentors DDC Public Buildings, Architecture & Engineering Director Oral Selkridge and DDC Green Infrastructure Sustainability Coordinator Ankita Nalavade.

“This program, which was conceived and executed by Md and Kelly, not only demonstrates their vision, skills and abilities, but also their openness to sharing what they have learned with those coming behind them. This free workshop was a much-needed introduction to the art of creating a quality college admissions portfolio. One big barrier to portfolio creation is that fact that many of the workshops offered are expensive, which puts this much needed service out of the reach of most of our students,” said Deputy Commissioner for Community Partnerships and STEAM Initiatives Lee Llambelis.

Tim Hayduk, Lead Design Educator at the Center for Architecture, encouraged students to participate in the free portfolio workshops offered by the Center for Architecture in partnership with the Boston Society for Architecture and the American Institute of Architects. He also informed students about the National Portfolio Day Association that is offering High School, College, and Graduate students nationwide a free in-person and virtual portfolio workshop from September 2021 to January 2022.

Mr. Hoque was a valued and vital member the 2021 ACE Team 8 design process. He spearheaded the modeling of the final project assisting mentors and students to render a 3D visuality of their homeless shelter. Read more here.

Mr. Hoque’s leadership skills, love of architecture, and the guidance he received from DDC professionals during the ACE Mentorship Program inspired him to want to assist other students. He plans to continue to offer the portfolio workshop to Stuyvesant students in the years to come and he hopes to one day build a network that offers other high school students accessibility to free portfolio guidance workshops around New York City.

student art projects

Clockwise from top left: Climate Change is real by Aviel Acevedo, Geometric Notre Dame by Md Hoque, Miss Thing by Claire Urbas, and Portrait of a sleeping child by Sophia Cisner

 

About the NYC Department of Design and Construction

The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor de Blasio’s long-term vision of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, and new or upgraded roads, sewers and water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $15.5 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to City projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc