In 2019, architecture senior Dallas Chavez (B.S. Architecture ’19) was waiting to speak with a firm at MAPP’s Architecture, Planning, Preservation and Real Estate Development Career and Internship fair when something caught his eye at a nearby table: images of detailed limestone facades, beautiful 19th century-inspired buildings and carved art-deco ceilings.
“It was not cookie cutter design,” recalls Chavez, who, with the encouragement of Career Advisor Kristen Stack, went in for a closer look. “The level of detail was amazing. Looking at their portfolio, it was obvious to me that they listen to their clients.”
The firm was David M. Schwarz Architects. Within a few weeks, Chavez had earned an interview and by March, had landed a job for after graduation. “The fair was really my first contact with them,” he said.
Each February, area firms, agencies and companies working in every facet of the built environment converge at MAPP’s Career and Internship Fair, an afternoon for students to network, discover future career directions and, like Chavez, find their fit after graduation. Open to MAPP undergraduate and graduate students in architecture, real estate, urban planning and historic preservation, the annual event is one of just a handful of boutique career fairs on Maryland’s campus—and the largest, owed partially to the dozens of alumni who return to the school’s well of student talent each year.
“Our Vice President, Sam Negahban (’08), who is also a UMD alum, really saw the merit of the fair, and has hired a number of students over the years, including me,” said Marvicbob “Bob” Estoque (B.S. Architecture ‘18), an assistant project manager for the construction company Brawner Builders. “For us, the fair is a great way to reach out to students not quite sure where they want to go after college.”
Estoque concedes that he was one of those students, feeling the pressure, tunnel vision and daunting tasks that can accompany such a specific degree: AIA status, finding a designer firm and earning credits for the Architect Record Exam. Learning about Brawner, he says, showed him that he had other options. Now an associate project manager, he is able to pair his design knowledge with on-the-job construction experience, a skill that keeps the company returning to MAPP each year to mine architecture graduates.
“We see the importance of getting interns and employees from the program, because having that design knowledge really enhances what we do,” he says. “For me, I’m learning so many aspects of the building process.”
After COVID relegated the fair to a virtual setting in 2021, resumes and elbow-bumps return to campus this month, with the event sporting new digs at the Riggs Alumni Center to accommodate a socially-distant atmosphere. For employers unable to attend in-person, a virtual meet-up will take place earlier in the day.
For students like Chavez and Estoque, it’s an entree into the industry in an environment tailored just for them.
“I liked the fact that the career fair is early because it gave me time to make a thoughtful choice,” said Chavez, who had several offers to choose from within a month of the fair. “It felt pretty good to knowing my last two semesters I could breathe easy, and that I had a great place to land after graduation.”
MAPP's Career and Internship Fair takes place February 25 from 1-5PM at Riggs Alumni Center. Space is going quickly! Reserve your spot or get more details here. Questions? Contact Kristen Stack at ktepper@umd.edu.