Juan and Louis, two of the high-school seniors in the course who grew up in South Central Los Angeles, always had an interest in architecture but had never had an opportunity to learn about it.  “My dad is a construction worker, so I grew up always looking at the blueprints. That’s what got me interested in architecture,” said Louis. When asked to design, they brought their lived experience with them. "I grew up taking the bus," Juan said, "So I incorporated that experience into my design for a bus stop." Young people who live in a neighborhood understand it in ways no outside expert can. With the tools of architecture, they can use their creativity to design innovative, community-rooted solutions to inequality.
When the students sat down with the rock band, they learned to actively listen to an end-user. They learned what it felt like to travel with a full drum kit -- no padding, no handles, no wheels, no case -- and designed around those real constraints. The result: a custom carrying case, built by hand.

But the project wasn't just about designing a better carrying case. It was about teaching students to see the world through a designer's lens, observing challenges, listening to the people most affected, and creating solutions rooted in lived experience. These lessons extended beyond the classroom. By thinking more deeply about his neighborhood, Juan and Louis have gone on to advocate for their community in new ways. They created a short film documenting the impact of ICE raids on his neighbors -- using the same skills he practiced in the course: observe, listen, and make something that tells the truth.

Our Design-Build program with Inner-City Arts doesn't just teach young people to read floor plans. It equips them to turn lived experience into action, and to build better communities from the ground up.

This fall, Juan and Louis will take the next step toward becoming architects—Juan will study architecture at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo and Louis at Los Angeles Trade-Technical College.  Both plan to be first in their families to graduate college. Asked what kind of architect he hopes to become, Juan didn't talk about iconic buildings or famous skylines. "When I become an architect," he said, "I will build spaces where people feel safe and feel like they belong."