NYC Career Road Trip 2019
Annual student-alumni excursion explores diverse career paths
Hardhat tour of new dorm building for Pratt Institute by CannonDesign. Hosted by alum Ryan Koella (Architecture BS '12). Photo by Kevin Turner
by Charles Wingfelder
Published January 23, 2019 This content is archived.
Earlier this month students from the School of Architecture and Planning traveled to New York City to meet alumni and explore possible career paths across the professions.
Twenty students led by three faculty guides visited the studios and offices of major employers, touring construction sites, and networking with alumni. The Road Trip NYC Career Experience is a university-wide career preparation program sponsored by UB’s Office of Career Services and Alumni Association.
Featuring more than two days of continuous programming, this year’s trip was organized by Joyce Hwang, UB associate professor and associate chair of architecture; Greg Delaney, clinical assistant professor of architecture; and Camden Miller, a student in UB's doctoral program in urban and regional planning.
At Studio Libeskind with alum David Heaton (MArch '17, Architecture BS '14)). Photo by Joyce Hwang
On day one, architecture students visited the offices of Diller, Scofidio Renfro while planning and real estate development students explored the High Line park before reconvening for an informal gathering with alumni at Gallow Green, the roof-top lounge at the McKittrick Hotel.
Up next on the itinerary was a trip to Brooklyn, where Ryan Koella (Architecture BS '12) of CannonDesign led students on a tour of the firm's dormitory development on on the Pratt Institute campus. Heading back to Manhattan, students met with Jodi Byron (MUP '05), who shared her experience as a city planner with New York City and discussed the wide range of job possibilities within the NYC municipal government.
Students tour COOKFOX Architects with alumna Alexandra Lima (Architecture BS '12), a junior architect with the firm (standing, right), and COOKFOX partner Daniel Brammer (MArch '89) (seated, right). Photo by Joyce Hwang
Additional stops on the agenda included architecture firms Kohn Pederson Fox, Studio Libeskind, COOKFOX Architects, Gensler, and SHoP Architects. Urban planning students also explored the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey (the nation's largest transportation planning agency), the NYC Independent Budget Office (a city agency that provides nonpartisan city budget information to the public and elected officials), and the Regional Plan Association (an urban research and advocacy organization serving the tri-state area of NY-NJ-Conn).
Capping the itinerary was a "Career Conversation" networking event with alumni from across the university. More than a dozen graduates of the School of Architecture and Planning participated in the event, held at the Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan.
Now in its fourth year, the whirlwind Road Trip NYC provides students with lasting professional connections and an expanded view of the spectrum of careers open to students with a UB degree in architecture, urban planning or real estate development.
Students entering Gensler offices, hosted by Karli Brummer and alumnus Eric Brill (BPS '92). Photo by Joyce Hwang
