SEED is an annual six-week paid internship structured holistically around introducing young high school students to the world of design. The program, which began in 2018, is an intensive deep dive into collaborative project work, office culture, and design fundamentals. The SEED program works closely with Sasaki to provide the students with access to world-class projects and the people who design them. Over the course of the summer, students work on their own group project, spend time with Sasaki professionals in design charrettes, learn valuable hand sketching and computer drawing skills, and so much more.

In 2020, the Sasaki Foundation translated this six-week internship into an online curriculum. We encourage students to explore SEED online and to apply for the SEED program when we open applications each spring.

Architecture + Design Thinking Day, an annual program in partnership with the Boston Society for Architecture, Boston Private Industry Council, and Boston Public Schools, is a one-day introductory career awareness initiative for high school students and serves as a pipeline for students interested in entering the SEED program. The day includes an office tour, an overview of design and how designers get motivated to enter the field, followed by a real design exercise, a student presentation of their designs, and one-on-one interviews with Sasaki designers to learn more about a career in design.

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 program adapted into Architecture + Design Thinking Boot Camp, a four-day virtual experience that took place during school vacation weeks.