Wallace Design Collective

Another summer has come and gone, and another cohort of interns spent their summers with Wallace, gaining valuable insights into our profession and day-to-day activities. This year, we welcomed a record 31 interns studying in structural, civil, landscape architecture, surveying, marketing and human resources programs across 11 universities: 

Colorado School of Mines:      Nadine Wetzler (civil, Denver office)

Georgia Tech:                        Marly McClintock (structural, Atlanta)

Kansas State University:         Dominic Brown (structural, Tulsa)

Missouri S&T:                         J.T. Becker (structural, Kansas City), Grace Giesler (structural, Tulsa)

Oklahoma State University:     Avery Acord (civil, Tulsa); Perla Rosales Avelar (civil, Tulsa); Kyara Carmona (civil, Tulsa); Ethan Clark (surveying, Chouteau); Chad Connor (civil, Oklahoma City); Elyssa Gowriluk (structural, Tulsa); Brendan Jameson (structural, Tulsa); Daisy Rosas (civil, Oklahoma City); Emma Russell (structural, Tulsa); Jackson Shipley (structural, Tulsa) Jaylin Strub (structural, Nashville); Hattie Witherell (landscape architecture, Tulsa); Courtney Witt (structural, Oklahoma City)

Oral Roberts University:          Avery Mazzei (administrative, Tulsa); Deborah Mazzei (administrative, Tulsa)

Saint Louis University:            Jack Chapin (structural, Tulsa)

University of Arkansas:           Carter Vash (structural, Tulsa); Isaiah Wright (landscape architecture, Northwest Arkansas)

University of Georgia:             Mabrey Pearson (structural, Atlanta)

University of Oklahoma:          Jules Ahlert (structural, Tulsa); Grace Broussard (landscape architecture, Oklahoma City); Stephanie Castillo (civil, Tulsa); William Jordan (structural, Oklahoma City); Deepika Sitaraman (civil, Tulsa)

University of Tulsa:                 Lilly Harrell (marketing, Tulsa); Gordon Hermansen (human resources, Tulsa)

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Read on to learn about 2024 interns’ thoughts and experiences, what they learned during the summer, and the real-world projects to which they applied their skills.

Civil Engineering Interns

Nadine Wetzler: Denver Office

Wallace Design Collective welcomed Nadine to our Denver office this summer. Nadine came to Wallace to experience land development before graduating and she said, “Wallace was the only company she researched with such strong company values.” While in Denver she enjoyed amazing festivals like the Japanese Sakura Festival, the Lavender Festival and the Renaissance Festival.

 

How has your internship affected how you view your field of study and future career opportunities?

Wallace is unique in the diversity of projects available. I didn’t know that many firms work exclusively in certain industries.

How did this internship compare to previous internships?

At Wallace, I feel very comfortable talking to my mentors and coworkers and building a healthy rapport with the whole office.

 

Kyara Carmona: Tulsa Office

Kyara made the decision to join Wallace from a classmate’s internship experience the summer before. While in Tulsa, Kyara enjoyed going to Welltown Brewery for trivia night, drive in movies at the Admiral Twin, and visiting the gathering Place.

 

 

How would you describe the culture here at Wallace?

Wallace is much more friendly and open than other places I’ve worked before. Everyone is so nice and willing to help you in any way that they can!

 

Daisy Rosas: Oklahoma City Office

The OKC office location and the previous experience of friends brought Daisy to our Oklahoma City office this summer. While there, she enjoyed going to Scissortail Park and an arcade bar called Up-Down.

 

 

What was one of the more important lessons you learned while at Wallace?

One of the most important lessons was understanding the dynamics of workplace communication and collaboration. I realized maintaining open, clear communication is crucial, and I also found that you often spend more time with your coworkers than with family, which makes fostering good relationships at work essential.

 How did this internship compare to previous internships? 

This internship made me feel a lot safer in terms of being able to take off when I had appointments or even family vacations.

 

Landscape Architecture Interns

Isaiah Wright: Northwest Arkansas Office

Isaiah joined Wallace at the advice of a family member and after research liked the idea of being surrounded by other disciplines. This summer, while interning at our Northwest Arkansas office, he spent his free time fishing and hiking.

 

 

 What was your favorite project this summer? 

I was tasked with redesigning an entrance to the neighborhood and another greenspace near the back of the site. I was able to meet with the clients and produce a design that they were excited about.

How has your internship affected how you view your field of study and future career opportunities?

I think it opened my eyes to the wide range of projects that fall under my field.

 

Grace Broussard: Oklahoma City Office

Grace came to Wallace because the interviews were extremely casual and felt stress free, yet could tell these people were passionate about their jobs. While in OKC this summer Grace enjoyed the exploring the city and especially the local breweries. She also expressed a desire for Wallace to open a new office in Bozeman, Montana. This is the second year in a row that an intern has wanted an office there!

 

What did you learn through your experience?

There is a lot more collaboration between fields than I thought. All of the projects overlap, from civil to structural to landscape architecture. Communication is very, very important.

 How would you describe the culture here at Wallace?

My favorite thing about Wallace is easily the people. They make it feel like a family here – super warm and welcoming.

 

Structural Engineering Interns

William Jordan: Oklahoma City Office

William found our website after hearing from classmates and was impressed with the prestige and importance of projects produced by Wallace. During his stay in OKC, William explored the vibrant local brewery scene, discovering a collection of unique and charming small breweries.

 

 

What was your favorite experience this summer?

My favorite experience was getting to tour The Citizen and Convergence with the Oklahoma City and Tulsa interns. It was a great experience where we had the chance to mingle with each other and learn about high-profile buildings being constructed.

How did this internship compare with previous internships? 

I had the chance to work on many different projects and visit a few sites,  so I appreciated the variety that this internship offered. I certainly learned more here than any of my past internships.

 

Jules Ahlert: Tulsa Office

Jules came to Wallace because she heard great things about the firm for many years from professors. She was also interested in all the different kinds of projects that Wallace works on. Jules had fun exploring the different restaurants in downtown Tulsa.

 

 

What was your favorite experience this summer?

I really enjoyed going on all the site visits this summer. It was interesting and helpful to see things in real life that I had previously seen as drawings. It was fun to implement what I learned at school while also learning so many new things while working here.

What did you learn through your experience?

I learned a lot this summer. Not only did I learn about engineering, but I learned a lot about how a project functions. It was interesting to see how much administrative work structural engineers must do for their projects.

 

Emma Russell: Tulsa Office

Emma heard nothing but great things about Wallace through friends and professors, and she was glad she listened to them. She is from the Tulsa area so she enjoyed spending time with friends and family. She also really enjoyed going to Whiskey 918 to two-step and line dance.

 

 

What did you learn through your experience?

The engineering problems we face in real life are so much different than the pretty little scenarios that our professors give us. I think that learning to not be scared to ask questions and get something wrong has made me a better engineer.

How would you describe the culture here at Wallace?

The culture here at Wallace is very much like a family. I felt like I fit in almost instantly, and it made all the difference on the first day since this was my first internship and I was definitely nervous.

 

Marly McClintock: Atlanta Office

 Marly came to Wallace to work on challenging projects with a larger company that has a small company environment. While in Atlanta for the summer, Marly played pickleball as often as she could.

 

 

What was your favorite experience this summer?

My favorite experience of the summer was learning the industry’s software programs. I enjoyed using RAM Structural System to design the preliminary member sizing for the building on UGA’s campus.

What did you learn through your experience?

The biggest thing that I learned was the industry lingo. Technical jargon is something the classroom cannot teach you.

 

Marketing Intern

Lilly Harrell: Tulsa Office

Lilly jumped at the opportunity to see what marketing would entail for for a technical design firm within the AEC industry. This summer, Lilly enjoyed the Tulsa office’s downtown location because it allowed her to explore the new downtown restaurants. 

 

 

What was your favorite experience this summer?

My favorite experience came from site visits. It was cool to get to see something that I normally would not, and it helped me to better understand the work I am doing.

 How has your internship affected how you view your field of study?

I was unaware of the possibilities of marketing within the AEC industry, and what they look like. I was very pleasantly surprised with the new information I gained, and learning just how much I can do with my degree.

 

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It’s Never too Early to Start Thinking About Internship Opportunities! 

Are you a student looking to gain real-world experience in both the technical and operational aspects of an AEC firm?

We offer technical internships in civil engineering, structural engineering, landscape architecture, land surveying, land planning, and roof consulting.

For those interested in the business side of our industry, we also provide internships with opportunities in both our marketing and human resources departments.

Reach out for more information by visiting our careers page.