Project Pipeline Summer Camp

Epstein was pleased to have a member of our staff participate in the Project Pipeline Summer Camp this year.

Alexus Davis, one of our Design Professionals, had the honor of chairing the Project Pipeline Committee for I-NOMA, the Illinois Chapter of the National Organization of Minority Architects (NOMA). As such, Alexus led the planning, organization and execution of the camp.

Project Pipeline is a National NOMA initiative founded in 2002 with the goal of increasing diversity within the architecture/design profession; which is done through exposing students as young as 10 from under-served communities to what a career in architecture can look like. Different NOMA chapters in various locations across the country host the Annual Architecture Summer camp for middle school-aged students. The camp runs over the course of four days, where students are taught about different phases and scales of design and construction. During one of those days, the students are taught about skyscrapers and taken to tour Chicagos Sky Deck and construction happening in the Willis Tower.

I-NOMA hosts the largest summer camp in the country, with 134 students and 90 volunteers. I-NOMAs mission with Project Pipeline is to teach students that design can be used as a tool for social change in their communities, called Design Justice.

Below is Alexus recap of the event:

While our annual Architectural Summer Camp is only one component of the Pipeline initiative, it is the largest component and a highly anticipated event every year.

The most beautiful part of this camp is our push to reach out to the kids that need it the most from communities that need it the most. Our camp class was diverse this year, surrounded with positivity and excitement from the parents, students and volunteers!

I am so thankful to our community partners, PTO Parents and camp mentors that worked so hard to make the camp everything it needed to be. I am also thankful to all of sponsors but especially EQ Office, whose tremendous contributions allow us to put on the programs we put on.

I learned so much both professionally as well as things about myself that I would have never learned otherwise managing something like Project Pipeline. It is truly a rewarding feeling to see the fruition of my efforts and I cant wait for next years summer camp!

I-NOMA has expanded the Project Pipeline initiative to include year-round programming that will take a child as young as 10 all the way through to becoming a licensed architect.