What is the TORCH Mentorship Program?
TORCH is a unique platform that confers professional knowledge, culture, and leadership strategies from one architectural generation to another. Designed to empower architects from a variety of personal and career paths, TORCH brings together Emerging Professionals (EPs) with Fellows of the AIA (FAIAs) to foster symbiotic relationships centered around mentorship, dialogue, and shared experiences.
TORCH pursues this mission via two avenues: public events that help EPs and FAIAs engage one another in a mutual learning and networking environment, and an application-based, one-to-one mentorship program that pairs each admitted EP with a dedicated Fellow for a period of one year. We invite you to learn more about us and our mission by exploring our homepage, and joining one of our many events throughout the year.
Join us on Monday, April 8, 2024 from 6–8pm at the Center for Architecture to learn more about TORCH!
Public Events
Every year, TORCH organizes around half a dozen panels, roundtables, and networking events tailored to the specific challenges facing emerging professionals—from building long-term professional connections to strategies for career advancement. Our networking and launch events allow EPs to familiarize themselves with the local professional landscape and resources, while our panel events showcase FAIA speakers’ personal stories of growth to impart lessons on career paths, business management, social responsibility, and more. All panels are followed by an open roundtable, where the speakers can engage attendees on a personal basis.
Check out our Events page, and follow our Calendar and social media updates to learn about upcoming dates.
One-on-one Mentorship
In addition to the public events we host each year, TORCH gives a select group of aspiring EPs the chance to have a more personalized, one-on-one professional counseling experience. Candidates admitted into the One-to-One Mentorship program will be given the chance to match with a Fellow from the AIA’s College of Fellows, with whom they can cultivate a valuable mentoring relationship. From resume and portfolio reviews to opportunities to learn and collaborate, admitted mentees will find ample means to grow as a professional as part of a TORCH mentee class—and, we hope, share any lessons learned with colleagues of all stripes for years to come.
The Class of 2024 Mentee applications are now open. Interested candidates should review the instructions on How to Apply.