06/11/2026
We recently had the pleasure of attending the final project presentations for the Santa Rosa Junior College architecture program—an exciting milestone as the program launches its first year. Nick Stephenson, who served on the advisory board during its development, joined Justine Weigl in supporting students at this important moment. It was inspiring to see the program come to life and the next generation of designers share their work. Justine shares her thoughts on the program
"This is the first year of having an architecture program at the JC! From my understanding, there either used to be a program or classes awhile ago, and one of the professors has been working over the past few years to build a curriculum and program to bring architecture back to the JC. This is the first time that I’ve been part of the program and it was also the very first end-of-semester studio crit for these students.
It’s so much fun to see the creativity of students and I really enjoyed being back in that setting. Being able to explore ideas, test through models and sketches, and work through the creative process is something that we don’t get to do as often in the “real world” where we’re bound by budgets, construction schedules, and all sort of other constraints. I liked listening to their thought processes to see how students’ ideas evolved and how they interpreted the design brief into their final models and drawings.
It’s important to build relationships with the local program. Having a local program creates opportunities for both the students and the local firms. Students can seek mentorships, internships, job shadowing, and eventual fulltime jobs post-graduation. Firms can also provide that mentoring, insight into working in an architecture firm, teaching or other opportunities to get involved with learning, and a talent pool of future employees.
One great thing about the JC having an associates degree in architecture is that it provides an alternative path to licensure for students. Traditional architecture school can take anywhere from 5–7 years (depending on your degree(s)), which is a huge time and financial commitment that not everyone can make. Alternative pathways are a way to expand the diversity and talent within architecture. I’m excited that the JC is offering this degree and look forward to ways QKA can help support the program."
