At ARC, we believe in nurturing young talent and providing valuable real-world experience to aspiring architects. We had the pleasure of welcoming Marvin Calixte, a junior architecture student from Wentworth Institute of Technology, as part of our co-op program. Marvin's enthusiasm for architecture and his eagerness to learn quickly made him an integral part of our team. In this Q+A, Marvin shares his experiences, challenges, and the valuable lessons he learned during his time with us. 

Read on to discover Marvin's journey and insights from his co-op at ARC.

Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what motivated you to pursue a co-op position at ARC?

Hi, my name is Marvin Calixte! I’m a junior architecture student at Wentworth Institute of Technology, and I’m from Milton, MA. The culture at ARC and the projects you work on really caught my eye. Everyone in the office is super collaborative and willing to teach me new things that I can take back with me when I return to school. I particularly enjoy the higher education projects and the specific type of design you focus on.

What were your primary responsibilities during your time here? Could you describe a specific project or task that you found particularly engaging or challenging? How do you feel your experience here has contributed to your learning and growth as an architecture student?

During my time at ARC, I helped project teams reach their milestones by assisting with model making, drawings, and contributing to our monthly team meetings—essentially lending a helping hand wherever I could!

I've been working on St. Andrew's School, an independent school in Florida. This project has been particularly engaging because I've seen it progress through many different phases. Adjusting to the various changes throughout these phases has been challenging but rewarding.

I've learned many new tips and tricks about specific software that I didn’t know before coming to ARC. This experience has given me a great perspective on what it's like to work in the architecture industry, which will better prepare me for when I graduate next year.

What aspects of our firm's work culture did you find most appealing? Were there any aspects of the work environment or company culture that you found challenging or unexpected?

I found everyone in the office to be very approachable whenever I had questions about my work. The collaborative and understanding nature of the team was really appealing, especially when I faced challenges with specific tasks.

I didn’t expect the work I’m doing here to be so similar to the work I’ve been doing in school, in a good way — it’s just at a much faster pace! I was initially nervous about keeping up and managing my time, but it turned out to be a great learning experience.

Do you have any suggestions for how we could enhance the coop program or the experience for future students?

I wish I could have participated in more client calls with the teams. It would’ve been really beneficial to see how my peers and leaders communicate with their clients. I feel this experience would have rounded out my exposure to the full process a bit more.

How has your experience here influenced your career aspirations or goals? Do you feel better prepared for your future career in architecture as a result of your time here?

My time here has definitely made me more excited to graduate and start working, especially at ARC. I can't wait to collaborate on projects and dive right into working with a firm, which has always been my goal.

Yes, I feel more confident and prepared for my future. I'm not as nervous as I was before my co-op about transitioning into a full-time job because now I have a clearer idea of what it will be like.

Do you have any final thoughts or reflections you'd like to share about your time at our firm?

Thank you to everyone I’ve worked with. I’ve learned so much from all of you. Everyone who helped me with my struggles and taught me new skills — I never felt like "the intern"; I felt like I was actually part of ARC, no matter how short my time here was.