By Guest Blogger Aylen Duran
Ever since I was little I loved to redesign my room on paper and envision what it would look like when it was remodeled the way I wanted it. I knew the basic concept of architecture but what interested me most was designing the interior. When I entered high school one of my teachers who is in charge of the ACE Mentor Program persuaded me to enroll in the engineering pathway. He told me that interior design was related to architecture and that those classes would better prepare me for college. As a 10th grader I began my first engineering class and I found it to be interesting so I decided to join the ACE Mentor Program.
In my two years in the ACE Mentor Program I have learned what it takes to create a building from scratch—something I had never worked on before. I learned that collaborating with others is a key concept in creating a building. Being in this professional studio program has helped me interact with real professionals in the field, visit firms such as LPA Inc., visit colleges like New School of Architecture and get experience that will help me not only for college but my career path.
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The days I’ve interned at LPA I have learned exactly what architects and interior designers work on and the type of environment they work in. I am convinced me that architecture and interior design are what I want to pursue. My interest for interior design has grown as I have actually seen the impact it has on the design of a building. Perhaps I would major in interior design.
Being at LPA has helped me learn new programs like Sketchup and I believe that knowing the program will help me for the future. I have also experienced being in meetings and learned that a major skill I need to improve on is communication. I found that being in this field is all about communicating with the client and fulfilling their needs. This internship has helped me learn the role each profession has on creating the building which has given me an idea of what I would be working on in the future if I become an architect or interior designer.
Learning new programs, going to meetings, talking to professionals and being in a unique environment was useful and I am now more knowledgeable of both careers. I believe having the opportunity to be an intern will help me gain experience for what is coming in the future and has helped me answer my questions related to the field.
Both interior design and architecture allow you to think outside the box while architecture makes you envision a building in any shape or form. Architecture and interior design services are careers in which your hard work will reflect on the satisfaction of the clients or the people that would be part of the life within the building. I am convinced I want to be part of that.
In the future I plan to attend a four-year university that offers both architecture and interior design programs. My choices right now are USC and Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. After college, I hope to work in an architectural firm—perhaps LPA—and be in an environment where I can be opened up to new ideas and collaborate with others easily.
Aylen Duran was a student intern at LPA San Diego during the summer of 2014.
