Spring Break Internship Program

As part of Dreyfuss + Blackford’s commitment to the mentorship of emerging professionals, this past March the firm hosted a student from the University of Michigan, Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning. The college matches students with an architectural firm for a weeklong mini-internship where they are given the opportunity to shadow design professionals on the job. As D+B participated in this program, we sought to provide a broad introductory experience of our firm’s process and culture, as well as a good taste of what the Sacramento region has to offer. This year we were happy to be matched with M.Arch student, Eduardo Villamor.

Eduardo (Ed) was born in the Philippines and grew up in Jacksonville, Florida. After graduating summa cum laude from the University of Florida’s School of Architecture, he enrolled in the University of Michigan’s Taubman College of Architecture and Urban Planning, where he will graduate in 2023. He currently lives in Ann Arbor, Michigan. His undergraduate thesis, “Ownership and Identity of Space” is a prime indication of his architectural interests: mental health, community design, and the poetics of space. His time as a student teaching assistant and as co-leader of the 2020 NOMAS design competition team incited an interest in pedagogy.

Ed mentioned his interest in sustainable design, installations, community, and design activism. He also shared his interest in film and music sampling. Ed sees himself going into academia and teaching in the future but is seeking to establish a strong technical foundation through professional practice.

Ed reflects upon his experience at D+B below:

“Last winter I spoke with Katie and Amy, and fortunately it went well enough that I was able to come to Dreyfuss + Blackford for this week. I prefer to enter most ventures with high optimism and broad expectations. I expected to enjoy some sunny California weather, but I did not expect such a high degree of hospitality with Dreyfuss + Blackford. I was pleasantly surprised with how much investment the firm put into my week-long presence. I feel incredibly welcomed and even overwhelmed with how well-coordinated my week seemed. I think I have a good sense of the high-level operations and culture of D+B, both of which I felt was very impressive and efficient.

To sum up my week, I spent some good time shadowing someone in almost every position of the firm, I visited to RBOC site, the San Francisco office, and quite a few restaurants here in Sacramento. It turned out I enjoyed Sacramento more than I anticipated, and I learned a good amount about project management, a few California code-isms, and client interaction. I couldn’t have asked for more out of this week. My time here was not long enough to engage with projects at a more granular level, so my notes mostly regard my observations about people dynamics, both within the firm and externally. Somehow, I learned a bit about personal finance, too. I documented these experiences in an interactive model, which I included the link for. The model is messy, and the “notes” are obviously non-exhaustive, but I felt it was an interesting way to commemorate my experiences of the week.

“I prefer to enter most ventures with high optimism and broad expectations. I expected to enjoy some sunny California weather, but I did not expect such a high degree of hospitality with Dreyfuss + Blackford. I was pleasantly surprised with how much investment the firm put into my week-long presence. I feel incredibly welcomed and even overwhelmed with how well coordinated my week seemed. I think I have a good sense of the high-level operations and culture of D+B, both of which I felt were very impressive and efficient.

To sum up my week, I spent some good time shadowing someone of almost every position of the firm, I visited to RBOC site, the San Francisco office, and quite a few restaurants here in Sacramento. It turned out I enjoyed Sacramento more than I anticipated, and I learned a good amount about project management, a few California code-isms, and client interaction. I couldn’t have asked more out of this week. My time here was not long enough to engage with projects at a more granular level, so my notes mostly regard my observations about people dynamics, both within the firm and external. Somehow, I learned a bit about personal finance, too. I documented these experiences in an interactive model, which I included the link for. The model is messy, and the “notes” are obviously non-exhaustive, but I felt it was an interesting way to commemorate my experiences of the week. ”