BBU Case Study: Quincy | Fluid Mentee

I heard about Built By Us after I was part of a team that won a competition to design the Architecture float for Pride. Danna was chairing a roundtable discussion at the event and she mentioned one of her mentoring programmes. I was quite early on in my career, and I wanted the chance to speak with someone like me, who had similar aims for their career and could help me to achieve my goals. 

“Speaking to someone who has a similar skin colour to myself was important, so I was pleased that I could find that in Built By Us.”

Being mentored is something that I enjoy, but previously I’d only found group programmes. Those were fine, but because it was 6 mentees to one professional, the sessions were very routine and impersonal, ticking boxes and having to follow a formula that didn’t necessarily fit.

Fluid paired me with a practicing architect, who’d also studied at Nottingham University, is from Croydon and from a minority background in the architectural profession - we’d even gone to schools down the road from each other! We gelled quickly, and because the sessions were 1 on 1, we got to know each other really well.

My mentor guided our sessions and kept them relaxed and friendly. One week might be a site visit and a coffee, another time we’d work on my portfolio or CV. I was preparing for my stage 2 application at the time, which was really stressful. My mentor supported me by looking through my work and portfolio, showing me his graduate and postgraduate work. When he told me “your work is good” I felt really confident because I could see the quality of his work now, what it looked like when he was still studying, and so I could trust his opinion.

The practice I was working at while I was applying for Part 2 was big and the projects were large scale; I didn’t feel that I had much opportunity to impact the design and wasn’t as involved as I wanted to be. 

So I moved to a smaller practice where I could make my mark. Talking all this through, 1 on 1 with my mentor, was really helpful because he suggested tweaks that I could make to change the situation and maximise my impact. This helped me to learn how to show how involved I wanted to be, and how I could change a situation that was affecting me. 

“Having an extra pair of eyes, one step removed, was really helpful. Just hearing someone else give their opinion, like how to own small parts of a project, or how to speak up in meetings. Having the insight of an experienced, practiced professional helped me to have confidence in my work.”

At my last practice, they knew I’d taken part in a lot of mentoring. When they wanted to learn how to support younger people in practice they came to me, as they knew I’d spent a lot of time finding mentoring. I recommended Built By Us as it’s the best that I’ve experienced because of the 1 on 1, informal, friendly relationships.

“The best moments of Fluid were when we sat, having a coffee after the site visit, and just talking about work and my career. The lack of formality helped it to not have that hierarchy: he wasn’t leading the discussion or telling me how best to do things. We were both working to get the best outcome for me, collaboratively. We’re still friendly, and he’s happy to help me when I have a question, and I value his insight into my career.”

When I joined the programme, some friends and I had won a competition to design a Mile Marker for the London Marathon, so between winning the competition and Built By Us, I began to see my own potential. This confidence rolled onto my work, so I started speaking up more, having an opinion and making it known. 

Working with Built By Us has helped me to have confidence in myself and to just go for it. 

Learn more about the FLUID Programme here.