ISD Students Begin ‘Drawing’ Career Plans During WiD-KC Day of Shadowing

More than 30 young ladies from Van Horn and Truman High School experienced life as an architect and designer during the seventh annual Women in Design-Kansas City (WiD-KC) Day of Shadowing October 23. Van Horn students spent the day learning from professionals at three of the city’s top firms: Thornton Tomasetti, GouldEvans and Populous.

“I think it’s really important for the girls to get involved because we see a lot of male domination in this field and women do a great job at it,” said April Trojniak, Populous senior architect technician.

About a dozen Van Horn students got an inside look at Populous, known primarily for designing sports venues. Little did the students know, they would be designing structures too! Using Legos, Trojniak had students build vertical housing that was not only sturdy, but aesthetically pleasing.

“I hope the girls really saw what this field has to offer,” Trojniak said, “and they’re not limited in what they can do.”

Women in Design- Kansas City is an association of women involved in architecture providing networking, community outreach and mentorship to their members and the community. Students from across the Kansas City metropolitan area visited firms specializing in architecture, interior design, graphic design and engineering. To see a video from the trip to Populous, click here.