HANDS-ON EXPERIENCE By Brynn Carlson This summer, fourth-year interior design students Madison Larkin, Meredith Verzino and Angie Leek, as well as third-year student Jenny Ast, had the opportunity to complete unique internships at companies to help them gain work experience and improve their professional development and digital design skills. FOCUS magazine recently caught up with these four designers to talk about their internship experience.
Verzino completed her internship with Perkins + Will in Denver, Colorado. The firm specializes in sports design, specifically professional and collegiate facilities, which is Verzino’s area of interest within interior design. During her time with Perkins + Will, the firm’s main focus was on renovations to the San Jose Sharks facility. She also worked on the Saint Louis University, Pepperdine University and Merriam, Kansas, recreation centers. HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN INTERIOR DESIGN? “I knew growing up that I always had an interest in creating environments.” HOW DID YOUR INTERNSHIP HELP YOU TO IMPROVE YOUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND YOUR DIGITAL DESIGN SKILLS? “The lunch-and-learns were my favorite part of the internship. As a designer, it’s so helpful to learn what materials and products are out there because you can’t create something great if you don’t know what’s out there. They happened at least once or twice a week. Our business finds it very important that interior designers take the time to have lunch-and-learns because it’s the only way our designs are going to get better. One thing that they had me learn there was SketchUp, which is something that K-State doesn’t teach us. I’m definitely going to use it now. Sketching was also a big thing. For the Saint Louis University project, I did a ton of different sketches for their ceilings, and the fact that you can draw your ideas helps communication and decisions come much more efficiently and quickly. Fine-tuning my sketches and keeping that skill up is definitely something that I’m going to take away.”
Larkin completed her internship with Health Facilities Group in Wichita, Kansas. The company focuses on health care design, including hospitals, clinics, Veterans Affairs facilities and retirement communities, which is Larkin’s area of interest within interior design. During the first half of her internship, she was involved in more than 15 unique projects, helping wherever she was needed. In the second half, she worked solely on a critical access hospital. HOW DID YOU FIRST BECOME INTERESTED IN INTERIOR DESIGN? “My dad is a construction worker and he would bring home blueprints and also take us on tours of some of the buildings that he helped complete, so I just got really interested in the buildings. I’ve always been a creative person who liked doing art, so architecture and interior design were two things I’ve always known since middle school that I wanted to do. I was one of the lucky ones that knew that interior design was my interest.”
WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM YOUR INTERNSHIP? “It exposed me to the real world, and I think the biggest benefit was the reassurance that K-State’s interior design program overprepares you. It hits on every skill that you need to know. Going through my internship, I learned that while design is a good skill, communication, team collaboration and listening to the client’s needs are the biggest things outside of learning those design principles. Understanding that there is also a business side to it, it broadened my perspectives on how things are actually run.”
HOW DID YOUR INTERNSHIP HELP YOU IMPROVE YOUR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND YOUR DIGITAL DESIGN SKILLS? “They taught me SketchUp software. Over lunches, we would have reps who sell or promote different materials or furniture pieces who would come in and give a pitch about why their product is so cool and why we should use it. There was also some continuing education about topics of design and new health care models that are out there.”
WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU OFFER TO YOUNGER INTERIOR DESIGN STUDENTS? “Have a portfolio and your resume ready to go by mid-February of your third year. Attend as many presentations as you can to develop those portfolios and resumes, especially because we have to brand ourselves. Network with people at the design expo and symposium and all the things that K-State offers. And, jump on the connections that you already know as that’s how I got my internship. During the interview process, have fun and be yourself. The firm is looking for your skills, but they also want someone who fits within the company. It’s a good balance of knowing what you’re doing but also having a good spirit about it.”
WHAT WAS YOUR BIGGEST TAKEAWAY FROM YOUR INTERNSHIP? “Learning more about Revit because we use it so much — and almost all the firms use it — but also learning about different design elements within hospitals that we don’t touch on in school. A big thing that I took away from it was my confidence as a designer because they were super-impressed with what I was able to do and how the interior design program prepared us. I took that confidence, and now I’m ready for senior year.” WHAT ADVICE CAN YOU OFFER TO YOUNGER INTERIOR DESIGN STUDENTS? “Don’t be too hard on yourself. It’s really easy to get overwhelmed, especially looking at other people in your studios. Be confident in what you are doing and continue to learn.” 8
