Wallace Design Collective

School can teach you almost everything you need to know about performing your new job as an AEC professional. The one thing school can’t teach you is whether you will enjoy working in the AEC industry. This is the crucial role that internships serve. 

Today, we spotlight our 2022 summer interns. Read on to hear from a few of our civil and structural engineering interns about their insights from this summer and the real-world projects they got to learn from and apply their skills to.

Civil Engineering Interns

Sloane Johnston

School: Oklahoma State University

Degree: B.S. Civil Engineering

Class of 2023

Wallace Design Collective was pleased to welcome Sloane to our Tulsa office this year. Sloane came to Wallace because she knew a couple of OSU graduates who had come to work here and loved it. Growing up in Jenks, Oklahoma, she hardly came downtown so she loved getting to explore, try new restaurants and find great coffee shops.

What was your favorite project or experience this summer?

One of my favorite projects to work on was helping with two elementary schools and the middle school in Clinton, Oklahoma. I liked working on this project specifically because I got to see and help on a lot of what a project looks like from start to end. I also really enjoyed going on the Broken Arrow Aldi site visits. I loved getting to know the other interns through that experience and going to the site every few weeks to see the progress, get a holistic view of what a site under construction looks like, and get to ask questions and talk about what’s going on at the site.

How would you describe the culture here as Wallace? What was one of your favorite things about it?

Any time I had a question it was met with patience and kindness in explanation. People here have gone above and beyond to make sure I am not just getting work done, but truly understanding what I am doing and why. I feel like this is such an excellent environment for young engineers to ask questions and be curious, and I am very thankful I found Wallace.

Tate Hammersley

School: University of Oklahoma

Degree: B.S. Civil Engineering

Class of 2023

Tate is a first-time intern at Wallace and joined our Oklahoma City office. One of Tate’s favorite things at the office was to play a game or two of doubles ping pong with his co-workers during breaks. Tate decided to intern at Wallace to get experience and a better understanding of the land development side of civil engineering.

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

The most important lesson I learned is to be a good communicator. Since there are so many moving parts to a lot of these projects, everyone needs to be on the same page and that isn’t possible unless you are talking to your team.

What did you learn through your experience?

I feel like I learned a lot about land development and surveying through this internship.

What was your favorite project this summer?

I have a lot of favorites but if I were to choose one it would probably be the Harris sales warehouse since I helped draft the site base and got to visit the site with the surveyors.

 

Structural Engineering Interns

Kelsey Kyler-Hugo

School: Oklahoma State University

Degree: B.S. Architectural Engineering

Class of 2022

Kelsey became more knowledgeable in wood design this summer at our Oklahoma City office. She gained a lot of real-world experience in designing wood beams, columns, headers, and jambs. Her favorite experience was going on site with other interns and some of her co-workers.

Why did you come to Wallace?

A few of my classmates had interned here before and they said they loved it. They mentioned that the culture was great and that you learn a lot while interning.

How would you describe the culture here at Wallace?

I think that the culture at Wallace is very welcoming and fun. There are team building activities and outings to encourage communication and friendship in the office. The company sets you up with resources and tools for success, and once you do succeed in something, someone might celebrate your accomplishments by letting the whole company know.

Beth Mical

School: Milwaukee School of Engineering

Degree: B.S. & M.S. Civil Engineering

Class of 2022

This was Beth’s first year to intern with Wallace Design Collective. Beth interned in our Denver office and in her off-time liked exploring Denver city life and hiking and driving through the Rocky Mountains. Beth enjoyed doing design work for a single-story home and attending client meetings. 

What did you learn through your experience?

I learned about the structural engineering industry and what it is like to work with clients and other teams. In addition, I learned that the industry is very fluid and that each day can be very different depending on the workload and types of projects.

How did this internship compare to previous internships?

This internship seemed to allow me full autonomy. I was able to work on designs of projects and be super hands-on instead of just helping with small, minor tasks in the background.

Brendan Jameson

School: Oklahoma State University

Degree: B.S. Architectural Engineering

Class of 2023

Brendan is a first-time intern at Wallace and joined our Tulsa office. This summer Brendan enjoyed working on big, diverse projects which posed great challenges and puzzles. A problem solver by nature, Brendan loved having something new and exciting each day.

What did you learn through your experience?

The experience I have procured at Wallace Design Collective has shown me what day-to-day life of a working engineer is like in the occupation. This helped solidify my belief and passion in the field.

What has been your favorite thing to do for fun this internship?

Going out to eat or happy hour after work has allowed me to make some new friends and relations that I know will carry on into the next school year and hopefully further. It has also been very fun to go on site visits and to learn more about the construction process as well as allow us the opportunity to see the physicality of our work.

Our structural summer interns also included, Camden Patovisti (B.S. Civil Engineering- Oklahoma State University), Tate Liberton (B.S. Architectural Engineering – University of Oklahoma), Kennadey Zimmerman (B.S. Architectural Engineering – Oklahoma State University), Jack Chapin (B.S. Civil Engineering – Saint Louis University), Audrey Powell (B.S. Architectural Engineering – Missouri S&T)

Our civil summer interns also included Harvey Cooper (B.S. Architectural Engineering – University of Oklahoma), Takoda Smarr (B.S. Civil Engineering – Missouri S&T), Chase Moody (B.S. Civil Engineering – Oklahoma State University), and Griffin Lane (B.S. Civil Engineering – University of Oklahoma).

Our landscape architecture intern was Anna Allen (B.S. Landscape Architecture – Oklahoma State University)

Wallace Design Collective values the insight and experience our interns bring to our team. We enjoy helping foster their knowledge of the technical aspects of our profession as well as guiding them through experience of working in the AEC industry. Our internship curriculum focuses on providing a well-rounded experience of what our industry offers, from inspections and observations to site visits and technical design.

“I feel like Wallace has prepared me exceptionally well to go into this industry and I’ve experienced so much.” -Sloane Johnston

 

Want more examples of what Wallace internships are all about? Check out the experiences of our summer 2021 interns here.

It’s never too early to start thinking about internship opportunities! Are you a student interested in getting real world experience in civil engineering, structural engineering, landscape architecture, land surveying or roof consulting? Reach out for more information!