Mission

After graduating with his Master’s degree, Kompas Fellowship Founder John Myefski received the Booth Traveling Fellowship from the University of Michigan and a Fulbright Fellowship from The Royal Danish Academy. As a young architect, the opportunity to study abroad provided John with a wealth of experience and a platform to launch his career. John hopes to pay it forward and give a similar opportunity back to the schools and institutions that helped guide his own career as an architect.

The Kompas Fellowship is ultimately designed to help students who have graduated but are still determining which architectural path they’d like to take. Finding your first job at a firm can be fairly difficult because companies know that students often return to graduate school to pursue Master’s degrees. Yet, most recent graduates need this hands-on experience in order to take that next step. During a term at Myefski Architects, a fellow is encouraged to explore the culture of an architecture firm and spend time conducting independent research.

The program is structured as an opportunity for creative individuals to gain hands-on professional experience while unlocking their own innovator potential. Through this immersive program, a fellow furthers their skills outside the classroom by working alongside architects and designers. The fellow spends 80% of their time assisting with real-world projects and approximately 20% of their time working on their innovative idea. After the initial learning and observation stages, the fellow undertakes an independent project focused on new ways of thinking and doing. A potential fellow’s innovative idea should be sustainable and relevant. The innovation explored must contextually integrate into the firm’s Chicago culture, primarily using the city as a resource in their research.