Intern Intel: Wrapping Up

For my final design charrette I wanted to focus on presenting my project’s process. So, I talked a lot about what I learned at each step along the way which helped me reflect on the stages I went through. After I presented, we all sat and discussed different colleges and programs. I received a ton of good advice and my biggest takeaway is to follow my intuition. Intuition brought me to CTA and I know that it will take me down the right path, especially going through college.

My project did not turn out the way I had anticipated in the beginning, and I know moving forward to not go into a project with a solution already in mind. I realize I placed constraints on myself based on what I thought could or couldn’t be done and I’m glad the design charrettes helped me break through those. I learned that I like making models and I am excited to make more, I became more comfortable presenting problems in the charrettes, and I learned that I am more interested in design than I had previously thought. I discovered that I want to understand how people are affected by their surroundings and I can’t wait to learn more about the background and history of design. I think that when I was younger I saw architecture on a surface level and I was intrigued by more of the aesthetics of buildings. Now as my interests and knowledge develop, I am more and more fascinated by all facets of architecture.

I am so thankful to Josh Shiverick for all the time he put into my experience this summer. He taught me a lot and was supportive of my ideas and process. I just met with a faculty member from my school today and we talked about how we are going to implement my project and what that will look like. I’m excited for it to become a reality and to have a positive impact on students’ learning environment. My next few years are some of the most critical ones in my life and I have so much to be grateful for, especially this opportunity which has been so enriching.