New hires Harper Brockway and Nolan LeBlanc have found a great place to grow during their first year at Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects.
Harper Brockway, Architectural Designer
In the summer of 2020, when Harper Brockway was still a student at Penn State University, she interned with Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects. Brockway already knew Frank Dittenhafer, whom she had been paired with for an Architecture mentorship program at Penn State.
Throughout both her mentorship and her internship, Brockway had such a positive experience that when she graduated in May 2021, she joined on with Murphy & Dittenhafer as a full-time Architectural Designer.
“M&D is a great place that focuses on the local community,” she says. “They do projects that impact York and beyond.”
Nolan LeBlanc, Architectural Designer
Collaboration at every level
Before beginning her internship, Brockway had been looking at other firms in the area. After her internship, though, she knew she had found where she wanted to be. The variety of commissions that she got to see and the way that every member of the team was invited into the design process intrigued her.
Her colleague, Nolan LeBlanc, has also experienced that same spirit of collaboration since joining M&D in April 2021. His primary motivation for joining the firm was the quality of the design commissions that M&D was working on.
“I’ve enjoyed the different array of projects,” he says. “We are a firm of good designers. That’s one of the prime reasons I joined. If I’m in an environment where that quality of work is produced, I’m motivated.”
Deep dive into new projects
From the very beginning, LeBlanc was thrown into the deep end — an environment in which he thrived.
His first commission was the Mount Calvert historical restoration. “We were working with Calvert County Parks and Recreation Services to preserve a very important building,” he says.
From there, LeBlanc played a role in drafting, designing, and working on proposals for projects such as the German American Cultural Center in Baltimore and the Bel Air Library. LeBlanc has also played a role in creating three-dimensional computer models and developing the design for a second-floor renovation within the M&D Baltimore office.
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Unique project opportunities have also been a major component of Brockway’s experience at M&D. During her internship, Brockway was invited to sit in on meetings for the Susquehanna Discovery Center with representatives from the Susquehanna National Heritage Area, seeing what transformations/interpretations were possible with two barns and a historic farmhouse. Now, as a full-time designer, Brockway is beginning to work on that same project.
“From day one, I’ve been involved in the design aspects of projects,” she says. “M&D really allows you to dive in and get experiences. Everyone is more than happy to answer my questions.”
Team effort to licensure
While only at the beginning of their careers, Brockway and LeBlanc have also both started on their path to full licensure as Architects — a multi-year process. Their fellow M&D Architects and Architectural Designers have been there to help walk them through the procedures.
“M&D has definitely invested in me by helping pay for exams and licensing,” Brockway says. “My coworkers have helped guide me through that process and have been available as a resource, because everyone is trying to get that process done.”
After nearly a year with the firm, Brockway has enjoyed working so close to where she grew up in York County, Pennsylvania. “It’s rewarding, seeing the Architecture around me being renovated and rebuilt,” she says.
For LeBlanc, the highlight has been the diversity of projects.
“If you really have strong feelings toward excellent design, I recommend applying,” he says. “It has its own complications, dealing with multiple types of projects at once, but it’s been the best place for a learning experience.”
Murphy & Dittenhafer Architects took on the Architecture, Interior Design, & Overall Project Management for the new Bedford Elementary School, and the outcome is impactful.