Interns in Action: Real Projects, Real Impact at SMRT
As the summer winds down and our interns head back to school, we look back on an unforgettable summer internship program. These past few months have been filled with learning and growth, showcasing the power of immersive experiences in the professional world. Here we take a closer look at how the program is designed to create a truly enriching experience.
Over the last few years, SMRT has refined the program, broadening the experience to incorporate collaboration, education, and innovation through various projects, educational opportunities, and direct participation in design, sustainability, and technical initiatives to ensure the program remains relevant and impactful.
Our internship program immerses students in the architecture and engineering industry, providing them with hands-on experience and the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to real projects. Our interns spend at least 50% of their time on active projects, working alongside full-time staff. This allows them to gain real-life experience and insight into the day-to-day of working professionals and receive personalized support through close collaboration with architects, interior designers, engineers, and project managers, enhancing their curriculum with real-world problem-solving.
“I felt like one of their co-workers and not 'just an intern.' I could propose ideas and they would ask for my opinions. I was an active member of the team.”
The program includes participation in site visits, client meetings, and internal project and team discussions, allowing interns to gain valuable insights, practical skills, and a strong professional network to kickstart their future careers.
This summer, our intern team took on a crucial role in leading a hypothetical project aimed at expanding a college’s athletic complex. The responsibility of this project challenged the interns to function independently, leading a project’s development, under the guidance of Matt Kramer, senior structural engineer and project manager.
Despite being new to a project of this scale and the complexities of athletic building design, the intern team showed remarkable adaptability and eagerness to learn. They grappled with the essential design factors of an athletic complex and learned the value of collaboration across offices and disciplines from the project’s inception. This project allowed the team to apply the principles learned in school while encouraging out-of-the-box thinking and innovative solutions.
The team received support and continuous feedback from mentors, senior staff, and their peers throughout the process, highlighting the importance of cross-disciplinary collaboration. Working across departments, they also honed their communication skills, ensuring the project remained on track.
“What made the project so enjoyable was how important it felt to the firm. I was really surprised by how invested everyone was in what we were doing and how willing they were to lend a hand, offer advice, and help us with our design. Overall, I think the intern project was such a valuable experience and I’m so proud to have been a part of it.”
From this collaborative environment, the architecture and interior design interns have learned how to reevaluate and expand their approaches, discovering new methods to navigate the design process effectively and, overall, broadening their perspective on design and its impact on user experience in sports facilities. Simultaneously, the engineering interns have gained a comprehensive view of the building development process, from initial designs with architects to integrating structural, electrical, and mechanical engineering. Our marketing intern learned how to successfully facilitate the internal distribution of project information, translating complex technical details into engaging communications for our diverse professional team. Overall, the interns gained valuable insights into the integrated design process and how to collaborate and communicate effectively as a team.
The program culminated with the Intern Summit, marking the end of the project. The primary focus of the Summit was the intern project team’s final presentation of their work to the firm as well as client representatives. The summit featured engaging workshops, including a resume and portfolio review session to help prepare the interns for their future careers and the opportunity to connect with leadership. To conclude the event, the intern team, their mentors, and several SMRT leaders went on a guided trolley tour where Paul Stevens, the great-grandson of our historical founder John Calvin Stevens, shed light on his great-grandfather’s legacy and the projects that have helped shape SMRT over the years.
SMRT takes our culture and the collaborative environment seriously. Our summer interns quickly become valuable members of our team.
Interns were encouraged to participate in meetings and discussions and share their thoughts and insights. Often our full-time staff learn as much from the interns as the interns do from us!
“From day one I noticed that there was a sense of strong unity amongst the employees here. It's more like a family.”
As this summer’s program comes to an end, we’re filled with appreciation for the experiences and contributions our interns made. Their journey has highlighted the essence of our unique internship program and we’re excited to see how the skills and knowledge they’ve acquired will unfold in their future endeavors.
Looking ahead, the anticipation for next summer’s internship program is already building. We invite those who are passionate about growth, learning, and making a meaningful impact to join us. Mark your calendars—applications for our Summer 2025 Internship Program will open in November 2024!
Other comments that we simply can’t keep to ourselves:
“I could definitely see myself working at this kind of firm in the future. I really like the integrated design process.” —Abby Borges, Architecture Intern
“I would recommend SMRT’s internship program to other students. The people at SMRT are super welcoming and nice. I had enough work to keep me busy and it wasn’t just useless work, it was actual work that made me feel like I was being helpful and being a part of something.” –Alisa Choudrie, Architecture Intern
