My last and final week of my internship and this program has been completed.  I think this past week has been filled with my favorite moments.  It was a very emotional week, but I will cherish all memories forever.  In the beginning of this experience, I was not sure if I really was fitting in, but as time quickly went on, I started to flourish and really have an input in everything I was working.  By the end of this week, I was already handling my own portion of a project.  It was crazy how fast and how much I was pushed outside of my comfort zone.  This has been my dream to study architecture in Berlin for three years and I finally did it.  I am so grateful for this experience and if I had the opportunity to do it again, I would in a heartbeat.

I cannot believe this experience is over.  This has truly been the greatest experience of my life.  I grew so much both professionally and personally.  The independence I have gained will be carried with me for the rest of my life.  I have learned so much and a lot more than I was expecting to learn.  This internship has clearly defined what I want to continue my studies in as well as specialize in for a master’s degree.  During my time in Berlin, I was exposed to a whole new way of thinking about architecture that was not from the academic perspective.  My main goal of this internship was to experience and compare the studio classes I took to the real-world job situation.  Architecture is so much more than creating a cool project.  It is about applying social aspects, research methods, adapting and integrating cultural components, and creating a community that invites everyone in, even the people who are not the main users of the project.  In school, the communication and social aspect is not taught because that is something that needs to be experienced.  Architecture is all about experience.  Experience in interacting with architecture, experience in crafting architecture, and experience in communicating architecture.  The way architecture is communicated needs to be thought about from the future perspective.  One of the things my mentor kept telling me and really wanted me to understand is to always think about the future and how what I am trying to communicate with people can be understood from their perspective.  If it is not understood, then I would still need to rework the project to do so.

I worked long and hard hours on a daily basis.  Some days were better than others.  However, I enjoyed every single second.  My coworkers, bosses, and I spent so much time together inside and outside of the office.  It was like a big family, and we always supported each other.  If there was a big deadline, we would all help out and stay until it was finished.  We all shared so many laughs together and so many gatherings at the coffee machine.

I was unsure in the beginning if this was what I really wanted to do.  This was my first internship in architecture and that is always what makes or breaks the future of an architect.  Of course, in school I always said I wanted to be an architect, but I was always curious of how my first internship would go and if that would change my mind.  I would just like to say that it did not! 😊 I think this experience has made me more curious and inspired again.  It has also made me more creative and has pushed my skills to further development.  I am eager to get back to my studio classes and to apply everything I have learned.  During the time until the fall semester starts, I will be updating my portfolio and start reworking, applying the skills and creativity I have learned to my past projects.  Everyone has always told me to complete an internship when you think it is best and when you think you will get the most out of it.  I can now say that I believe this was the perfect time to have completed an internship because I can reflect from the past, but also apply this experience to the future for the master’s applications that I will compete in the fall.

In my personal growth, I have grown some thicker skin.  The Germans are very straight forward and will not sugar coat anything.  They will tell you their honest opinion, but this is not to be mean but because they genuinely want you to succeed, and they have the best intentions for you.  After this trip, nothing seems as scary anymore and I feel freer in knowing that I can accomplish way more than my little brain says I can.  I am excited to see what the future holds for me and how much more I will accomplish.

Hail to Pitt