Immersive and experiential learning is the cornerstone of our academic programs in the College of Architecture and Planning at CU Denver. Students gain hands-on experience early in their education, bridging the classroom knowledge with real-world applications in architecture, urban planning, and design as they begin to learn more about their future professions. Shadow Day for undergraduate architecture students and shadowships for urban and regional planning students are prime examples of how we introduce experiential learning opportunities to our students.
Undergraduate Architecture Shadow Day
The undergraduate architecture program offers a Shadow Day program, inviting local firms to host small groups of students for a half day and offering them chance to experience a day in the life in their future profession. The program has continued to grow, this year welcoming 11 participating firms.
The annual event connects students with local architecture firms and professionals, giving them firsthand exposure to daily practice and workplace culture. Through tours, workshops, and observations, students gain valuable insight into potential career paths and the realities of architectural practice.
The experience complements students’ curriculum, supports their career development, and helps them visualize future career possibilities in the field. Through Shadow Day, students receive invaluable career advice and create professional connections with firms.
The participating firms also benefit from Shadow Day. For many, this is their firm’s chance to make a first impression with this cohort of CAP students. Firms grow their reputation with students, build a pipeline of talent interested in their firm, and help instill and inspire skills that they hope to see from future employees.
Master of Architecture alum and Aviation Architecture Design Professional at HNTB Corporation Mo Zaina helped his firm host five students for this year’s half-day shadowing opportunity. “We hope to continue bridging the gap between formal education and the practice,” said Zaina, “and events like these can be extremely insightful for those early in their careers.”
Initiated by Lecturer Cynthia Leibman and Director of Professional Development and Internships Jen Skidmore in spring 2023, Shadow Day serves as an additional, experiential component of Architecture Studio III. This year, Shadow Day was organized by Studio III instructors, Assistant Professor Leyuan Li, Lecturer Trevor Motzko, Lecturer Pipsa Happo, and Lecturer Ethan Chiang, Skidmore, and CAP’s practice community partners.
Skidmore coordinates Shadow Day for this studio. “We aim to facilitate connections between students and professionals that result in positive career outcomes and growth, such as Shadow Day and the CAP Mentorship Program,” said Skidmore. “Our college has strong relationships with the practice community across all our disciplines, and it’s imperative that our students get to explore opportunities and see their future possibilities. It supports their confidence, sense of belonging, job readiness, skill development, and employment potential. We’re immensely grateful to our industry partners for volunteering time and energy for this important and impactful program!”
Eleven firms participated this semester—a new record for the program. Thank you to the following organizations for participating this term:
Firms interested in participating in the future may contact Jen Skidmore at jen.skidmore@ucdenver.edu.
Master of Urban and Regional Planning Shadowships
The Department of Urban and Regional Planning began offering shadowships to Master of Urban and Regional Planning applicants in the spring semester of 2025. These shadowships offer students a twenty to forty-hour observational work experience in which they see firsthand the daily work of an urban planner and have the ability to ask questions to professionals, while also doing meaningful planning work with their supervisors for local communities. The program currently offers shadowship opportunities hosted by Clarion Associates, HDR, Progressive Urban Management Associates (P.U.M.A.), and the Denver Regional Council of Governments.
Shadowships can be instrumental in introducing students to expected and unexpected tasks, the work culture of the profession, the challenges of the work, and networking opportunities early in their graduate academic careers.
“This spring and summer, our firm was involved in a lot of community engagement for a local project,” said Ethan Greene, associate at P.U.M.A. “The shadowship provided us with an extra set of hands to help run events and summarize community input. Their passion and willingness for the work gave our team a burst of energy during a demanding phase of the project.”
The shadowships not only benefit the students, but they also benefit urban and regional planning organizations. As we prepare our students for their next steps, these job shadowing opportunities help provide them with a perspective of what an organization’s work culture is and what the expectations are for their employees. In some cases, organizations may be introduced to their future employees through shadowship opportunities.
“This experience offered an emerging urban planning professional the opportunity to jump into the middle of an interesting, unique, and challenging project,” said Greene. “Their enthusiasm and solid work led us to hire them as a summer intern to continue working on the project. We hope they found value in learning the ins and outs of a complicated project and what goes into running an urban planning consulting firm.”
Interested in learning more about shadowships in the Master of Urban and Regional Planning program and how to participate? Contact Department of Urban and Regional Planning Associate Professor and Chair Carrie Makarewicz.