A Head Start in Architecture

“To my parents’ annoyance, I would disassemble and reassemble most of the technological devices around the house,” architecture student Satish Doobay recalls of his childhood. “I was always very hands-on and into the creation of things.”

Following his passions, Doobay attended the High School for Construction Trades, Engineering, and Architecture in Queens, N.Y. During the summer before his senior year, he fully immersed himself in the professional architecture world, taking advantage of the New York City School Construction Authority (SCA) Internship Program, which placed him with Superstructures Engineers + Architects, a restoration firm located on Wall Street.

But the internship he secured the following summer changed his life.

After graduating high school, Doobay applied once more to the SCA Internship Program. This time, he was placed with JMV Architect, a Queens-based firm founded by New York Tech alumna Jacqueline Velez (B.S. ’85). As his six-week internship concluded, Velez offered Doobay the opportunity to stay on board—this summer marks three continuous years of interning under Velez’s mentorship.

His extended experience with the firm, composed of consulting services JMV Associates and renovation and construction services JMV Architect, is invaluable as he’s gained a head start on learning both the behind-the-scenes and boots-on-the-ground efforts involved in running an architecture firm.

As an architectural support staff member, Doobay helps create construction documents, provides input into project design and layout, reviews blueprints for errors, helps with quality control, and develops 3-D models and renderings. He also helps create marketing materials and attends networking events to gain new opportunities for the firm.

During his tenure with JMV, Doobay has watched several projects evolve from plans to fruition, including two schools currently under construction, an auditorium renovation in Brooklyn, and a 400-square-foot sensory room conversion in Queens. Coming soon are two school libraries in Queens and a 1,700-square-foot science lab upgrade on Staten Island, and Doobay is assisting with all of them.

His busy days don’t end when he leaves the office or worksite, though, as Doobay is always looking for ways to further his hands-on architecture experience. Last spring, he took home the top prize in the Arch Arena design competition, created and hosted by New York Tech alumna Sidpasamdé Tiendrebeogo (B.Arch. ’23, M.S. ’24). Held in New York City, architecture students were tasked with translating a childhood memory into a built structure. Over four rounds of competition over two months, Doobay’s skills in different areas of architecture were tested, moving from sketches to conceptual models and ending with larger final models and presentation skills. His winning project involved a flexible shape complete with reflective materials and colored lights, representing a youth recreation center.

On the New York City campus, Doobay is a member of the Society of Indo-American Engineers and Architects and holds multiple leadership roles for the 2026–2027 academic year, including serving as treasurer of the Run Club—which he founded during his first year—and as external vice president of the National Organization of Minority Architecture Students. These follow his previous roles as executive vice president of the New York City campus’ Student Government Association as well as head of the Judicial and Compliance Committee, where he and a group of student leaders ensured all student organizations complied with on-campus guidelines.

Doobay has several years ahead of him before graduation, but he dreams about his future career. The aspiring registered architect plans to secure leadership positions in the field so he can make lasting changes to communities through architectural decisions. Someday, Doobay hopes to run his own firm.

“What excites me most in my journey is the flexibility I have within the field,” he says. “With my degree and experience, I have opportunities to work on a wide range of projects within many different industries. There’s so much I can do and learn, and I am particularly excited to see where the field goes in the future.”