The Voice of Interns: A Holistic Professional Design Experience
When thinking of internships, the student’s journey in gaining skills and office experience tends to be the focus. But an internship should be much more than that. Internship programs should inspire, educate, nurture and enlighten future designers on the impact their work can have in the world. In this article, we explore SmithGroup’s internship program through a holistic lens that demonstrates how multifaceted and comprehensive it is.
We asked a selection of our 2024 interns across the firm about their summer at SmithGroup and what their experiences were with integrated design, mentorship, the learning experience, firm culture and what advice they would give future interns.
Integrated for a Better Future
SmithGroup’s integrated design culture was repeatedly mentioned as a strong advantage of our internship program. Students mentioned collaboration with professionals in all disciplines helped strengthen their understanding of how the built environment is designed.
“As an integrated design firm, I've gotten to work with architects and engineers of different specialties not seen in other firms.” - Jason Kovalchick, Penn State University, Bachelor of Architectural Engineering
“My internship at SmithGroup is helping me achieve my career aspirations by being exposed to so many different disciplines. This has given me the opportunity to work on a variety of projects.” - Noelle Robinson, North Carolina State University, Bachelor of Architecture
“I'm aspiring to be a sustainable progressive designer and SmithGroup has those values built into the core of their profession. I want to take this opportunity to see how a professional firm really integrates sustainable ideas and design solutions, not only into their portfolio, but across multiple disciplines, which I think is very important.” - Kyle Grace, University of Detroit Mercy, Master of Architecture
Mentorship & Growth
Our firm strategically creates an environment for interns to be mentored by experienced staff, ensuring that by the end of the program they have grown both professionally and personally.
“My internship and mentor have not only been helping me to become familiar with the community here at SmithGroup, but also helping me find my career path and have a clear head space to which direction I want to go.” - Arriana Crosswhite, North Carolina A&T University, Bachelor of Architectural Engineering
“I've been able to make the most of my time here at SmithGroup by being curious and starting conversations with people who really care to see me grow. Because of that I've been able to explore many different projects, markets and a variety of disciplines.” - Noelle Robinson, North Carolina State University, Bachelor of Architecture
“It's given me access to a seasoned staff and hands-on industry experience of the things that I learned in theory at school, which is a big part of growing in your field. I'm an electrical engineer intern, meaning I'm on projects where even the most minuscule tasks I do create an impact on the building operation.” - Preksha Batra, Penn State University, Master of Architectural Engineering
Culture & People
Gaining professional experience as a designer goes beyond critical design skills. It’s also about learning how teams come together to create design solutions. SmithGroup’s inclusive and equitable company culture is the foundation to our success, be it through developing positive relationships with teammates or creating an environment that motivates young talent.
- “I've felt such a warm welcome since being at SmithGroup. People are very open to answering your questions, which makes me feel empowered to ask.” - Noelle Robinson, North Carolina State University, Bachelor of Architecture
- “The team I'm working with is phenomenal. They're very open and accepting. They trust me to do the tasks and uplift me. I feel it’s a great experience to have as an intern, to have that trust come from your team.” - Preksha Batra, Penn State University, Master of Architectural Engineering
- “Someone should pick SmithGroup for their summer internship because of their supporting yet dynamic work culture. Also, it’s a great opportunity to build a very strong professional network here.” - Abbie Cheng, University of California, Berkeley, Master of Landscape Architecture
Advice for Future SmithGroup Interns
Our internship program aims to offer unique opportunities that enrich the time they spend in our offices. Several interns reflected on their experience, sharing their thoughts for the benefit of future students considering an internship at SmithGroup.
- “I've realized as an intern, the more questions you ask and the more initiative you take to show your bandwidth and your availability, the more interest you gauge from your team to actually put you on projects.” - Preksha Batra, Penn State University, Master of Architectural Engineering
- “I'd recommend the summer internship at SmithGroup because everybody is really nice here at the company and you get really great experiences exploring your passions.” - Zoe Zylstra, Illinois Institute of Technology, Bachelor of Architectural Engineering
- “SmithGroup has made my internship experience extremely fun. The intern program encourages an exploratory learning process. They do an excellent job at making the experience more than a job and more of a learning, hands-on experience.” - Kyle Grace, University of Detroit Mercy, Master of Architecture
- “Just soak it all in. Whatever city you land at, just try to explore it as well as try to get a good experience during your internship.” - Jason Kovalchick, Penn State University, Bachelor of Architectural Engineering