The Value of Mentorship in Architecture Education
Serving as a peer mentor for first-year architecture students has been one of the most unexpectedly rewarding experiences of my time in school. I stepped into the role thinking I would simply help with assignments, give feedback, and answer questions. What I did not realize was how much it would reconnect me with the fundamentals of architecture, the simple rules, the way we see the world, and the importance of slowing down long enough to truly observe.
Returning to the Basics
In architecture school, it is easy to get caught up in complex software, detailed systems, and the pressure to produce. Mentoring first-year students pulled me back to the fundamentals: proportion, hierarchy, alignment, rhythm, spatial relationships, and craft. Teaching them forced me to remember that architecture begins with learning how to see.
It is not just about looking at buildings but understanding them. It involves reading their structure, massing, and patterns and recognizing how light hits a facade or how a street elevation tells a story. These are things we sometimes overlook as we advance in school, and guiding new students reminded me why these basics matter so much.
Learning to See the Built Environment
One of my favorite parts of mentoring was taking students out into the city with their sketchbooks. Chicago itself became our classroom. We walked streets, studied corners, and paused in front of buildings that most people pass by without a second thought. I encouraged them to sketch street elevations to understand rhythm and continuity, perspectives to train their eye to read depth, figure-ground studies to explore the relationship of solid and void, and plan or section sketches to see how spaces are organized rather than simply how they appear.
These small exercises helped them grow as young designers, and they helped me reconnect with the act of observing the built environment with curiosity and intention. Architecture is everywhere if you know how to look for it.
Teaching by Doing
I realized that the best way to teach was not through long explanations but through shared experiences. Standing on a street corner, sketching the same building, and comparing our observations created real understanding. Instead of telling students what to draw, I focused on showing them how to see: how shadows create depth, how a facade breaks into parts, how sidewalks and streets define space, and how perspective lines anchor an entire drawing. Watching their sketches evolve week by week felt like watching their confidence take shape in real time.
Finding My Own Growth in the Process
Mentoring these students taught me as much as it taught them. I revisited lessons I had not thought about since my own first year. I relearned the value of simple rules and the power of hand drawing to clarify ideas. Most importantly, I rediscovered why I fell in love with architecture in the first place, because it changes the way you see the world.
Why You Should Mentor If You Ever Get the Chance
If there is one takeaway from my experience, it is this: if you ever have the opportunity to mentor someone, you should absolutely do it. Mentorship is not a one-way exchange. While you guide and support someone else, you gain just as much in return. You sharpen your own skills by explaining them. You begin to see familiar concepts in a new light. You are reminded of the excitement and curiosity that first drew you into the field. You grow as a communicator, a leader, and a teammate.
It is a rewarding experience that benefits both sides in ways you may not expect. Helping someone else grow ends up pushing you forward too. Whether you are in architecture or any other discipline, mentoring can be one of the most meaningful and transformative experiences you take on.
