Catholic Central welcomed Integrated Design Solutions (IDS), designers of the George & Mary Turek Hall of Science, to campus Tuesday to speak to students interested in architecture careers as part of the Career Conferences series sponsored by the Counseling and Advancement & Alumni Relations Offices. 

IDS Senior VP Director of Finance Bruce Snyder '84 CEM, LEED AP BD+C; VP Director of Athletics & Recreational Sports Mark Reaves AIA, LEED AP BD+C, NCARB; and Senior Associate Adrain La Tona AIA, NCARB, walked students through the process of building the Hall of Science–from initial planning, to design reflecting the school’s rich tradition and commitment to cutting-edge technology, to construction. They also shared practical steps involved in becoming an architect, what life at an architecture firm looks like, other career opportunities within architecture, and discussed famous buildings and architects that inspire them. 

Mr. Snyder inspired students to invest their time and effort first and foremost in themselves, discovering where their passions and strengths align. 

“When we talk about what you want to be, it's a big decision when you’re 16 years old,” said Mr. Snyder. “You hear a lot about pursuing your passion, but you also need to discover for yourself what you’re good at and where you can bring an industry value. When you figure out what you’re good at, what gifts God has given you, pursue that.That’s what will give you the most amount of happiness,” he said.  

Mr. La Tona spoke about the wide range of careers available within architecture and what sets his career as a designer apart, designing buildings for institutions affecting countless lives over tens to potentially hundreds of years. 

“What exactly do we do? At a very basic level, we take background information and research, inspired by the hopes and goals of our clients, to build a building that is really a story, a vision about who they want to become, who they feel they should become,” said Mr. La Tona. “It’s difficult work. A lot of what we do is designing for the future, and I don’t know about you guys, but I don’t know what the future is. The way we work to solve that problem is beginning with a clear purpose and a clearly defined outcome. In between that, we work to design experiences and behaviors that help us bridge the gap between our beginning purpose and our desired outcome,” he said. 

Mr. Reaves shared with students his story of choosing architecture, recounting how growing up he saw the importance of designing unique spaces to fit the differing needs of individuals.   

“I never understood why my neighbors and I all had the same house when we each lived such different lives from one another,” Mr. Reaves said. “There had to be something more, something unique,” he said. 

In high school, Mr. Reaves discovered the works of world famous architects and quickly became inspired. Now, working at IDS, Mr. Reaves and his firm have had the opportunity to collaborate with some of the very architects that inspired him long ago, such as Iraqi-British architect Dame Zaha Hadid for the design of the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum at Michigan State University. 

Detroit Catholic Central High School is proud to partner with innovators such as IDS in the build of the George & Mary Turek Hall of Science.

The Catholic Central Career Conference series brings alumni to campus to speak to sophomore and junior students interested in particular career paths. The alumni share valuable insights about their profession, their story, and recommendations to students seeking a career in a similar field. There are career conferences on medicine, business/entrepreneurship, finance, engineering, law/law enforcement, marketing, and journalism. If you are a student interested in attending a career conference, please contact your counselor.