As our summer internship program comes to a close, we want to recognize and celebrate these outstanding individuals for their hard work, dedication, and contributions over the past few months. Their fresh perspectives, enthusiasm, and willingness to learn have made a meaningful impact on our team, and we’re grateful to have been part of their professional journey.

Amelia

Santa Barbara Intern

What attracted you to the 19six internship?
Its multi-disciplinary approach and how different fields contribute to the same project.

What have you enjoyed most about your internship so far?
Meeting coworkers who share similar goals and are incredibly supportive whenever I need help.

In what way(s) has your internship here at 19six impacted you?
It has helped me grow in so many ways as a starting engineer and the real-world experience I’ve gained will stay with me throughout my career.   

What is one thing you learned in your internship here at 19six?
I have expanded my CAD skills and gained a stronger understanding of how to read structural plans.   

What led you to engineering?
I’ve always been interested in engineering and my curiosity about how buildings withstand loads and natural disasters led me to pursue Architectural Engineering. I also enjoy buildings with unique architectural features and understanding the engineering that makes those designs possible.  

What are you most looking forward to in your future career?
The opportunity to work on different types of structures and learn how every project is unique and presents new challenges that will help me grow as an engineer.  

What would be your dream project to work on?
I would love to design and build my own home someday, using the knowledge and experience I gain throughout my career.  

Where do you see yourself in ten years?
I hope to have my SE license, a successful career, and a fulfilling life with the people who matter most to me.  

Eden

San Luis Obispo Intern

What attracted you to the 19six internship?
Being close to home and how much the company focused on local community projects. I was so grateful to be able to score an internship in my hometown where I can hang out with my family and girlfriend after work, and it means a lot to me to be working on mostly projects in the area where I’ve grown up.

What have you enjoyed most about your internship so far?
I’ve enjoyed learning tons of new skills and experience from contributing to the healthcare team, especially seeing how these projects come together. And of course, meeting great people from 19six as a whole!

In what way(s) has your internship here at 19six impacted you?
So much. With 19six being my first internship, I’ve learned so much valuable knowledge in the couple of months I’ve been here, and the hands-on experience has helped me gain a clearer understanding and perspective of my future career.

What is one thing you learned in your internship here at 19six?
I have a better understanding of how much the small details matter in practice. For a successful project, everything must be fully considered from the beginning to have a cohesive whole.

What led you to design?
I’ve always been a sort of designer, although it’s been in many different forms. I’ve consistently loved drawing, painting, ceramics, and any sort of creative project, but I’ve found that I wanted to tie those pursuits with something more technical for my career. I basically saw architecture as the perfect in-between of an arts and STEM career. 

What aspect of design do you enjoy most?
Solving a challenge is the most satisfying part of design for me. Working through the “wicked problems” of architecture, whether it be big-picture concepts or small details, is all equally enjoyable to me, and I really love the chance to be creative in that sense.

Where do you find your inspiration?
It’s a basic answer, but nature and art (including architecture!). Whenever I feel stuck, I find that exploring and going outside (especially with what beautiful areas we have here) is one of the most inspiring and rejuvenating things I can do for myself. For me, trying to get inspiration online is never the same as any in-person spatial experience.

What is the most inspiring piece of architecture, engineering, or interior design you have visited?
Any of Julia Morgan’s work! With Hearst Castle so close by in SLO County, and so many of her buildings in Berkeley, I’ve had the opportunity to visit a ton of her projects. I love architectural history, so have researched and learned so much about her. Not only her architecture, but her life path, is a big inspiration to me. I love how her style designs around the natural landscape and merges Arts & Crafts architecture, intricate forms, and beautiful colors.

Henry

San Luis Obispo Intern

What attracted you to the 19six internship?
The chance to work on meaningful and impactful projects that I could see in SLO and surrounding communities. 

What have you enjoyed most about your internship so far?
Being fully integrated into my project team and getting to work on a lot of different aspects of the project. The people are great too!

In what way(s) has your internship here at 19six impacted you?
I feel more confident in my professional design ability and more aware of the intricacies of the design process.

What is one thing you learned in your internship here at 19six?
How much a small design detail can affect the performance and quality of the whole project.

What led you to design?
I think about design very efficiently like an engineer but I enjoy the extra creative step of designing spaces that are both functional and beautiful.

What aspect of design do you enjoy most?
Working on everything from the overall project vision to the tiny details.  So, all of it.

What are you most looking forward to in your future career?
Working up to a role where I talk directly with the client and incorporating their vision and feedback into the project.

What is the most inspiring piece of architecture, engineering, or interior design you have visited?
The Sagrada Familia in Barcelona: It has centuries of history and design combined into one elegant structure and the light inside is incredible.

Jorge

San Jose Intern

What attracted you to the 19six internship?
The closeness of the team was one of the first things I noticed. A strong team will always produce more meaningful work. I was also interested in working with school districts, as both my parents are teachers.

What have you enjoyed most about your internship so far?
Visiting the site and working through problems with all the different people involved in the project. 

In what way(s) has your internship here at 19six impacted you?
The most meaningful has been insight into what I want to get out of this career path. It has been a pleasure to study and practice it on my own or in the classroom but truly experiencing it has been eye opening (in a good way).

What is one thing you learned in your internship here at 19six?
I’ve learned to put more trust in myself and my instincts, both as a designer and teammate, even within this professional world that is new to me. Also to let go of the things that hold back my own or the team’s progress. Creation beats perfection every time.

What led you to design?
I have an appreciation for many things in this life, and one of my favorite ways to show this appreciation is through the act of creation. A friend of mine is a bassist in a local band, and he says that the next step after creation is sharing that creation with others. I agree with this ideology, since humans grow through the cycle of creation and sharing. I’m grateful to be a part of this cycle and hope to play my part to the best of my abilities.

Where do you find your inspiration?
I find inspiration in many different places. Lately I’ve been looking at things that tend to be overlooked. Mostly compositions created from simple things like filled-in cracks in the road or layers of old paint that have chipped off and shown the layers from their past. I’ll usually take a picture of a composition that I particularly enjoy and make collections based on a prominent color that appears.  

What would be your dream project to work on?
Working on some sort of community building project would be great. Something that takes aspects of the local area and uses those attributes to build something that brings people together or generates positive influence into the area after construction.

What is the most inspiring piece of architecture, engineering, or interior design you have visited?
There are many pieces of architecture that mean a lot to me, many of which I see on my commute to school or work. However, for now I’ll say that a parking lot has been the most inspiring. I don’t really care for parking lots in general, but if there needs to be a parking lot somewhere it should be like this one. It was made of two levels, one slightly above street and one recessed. A short ramp leading up allowed for a void in between the two levels that gave the structure some breathing room and helped highlight the horizontal volumes of the rectangular lot. There were also openings scattered around the upper level so that the lower level had space for gardens and small trees to grow and poke through the floor above. Along with grass and ivy surrounding the perimeter and growing into the four in-cut corners of the lower level. It makes me wonder how else we can make the “normal” things into more natural inhabitants of the neighborhood.

Kylie

Santa Barbara Intern

What attracted you to the 19six internship?
The idea of working in a professional environment and in a firm where I have the ability to work in the town I grew up in.

What have you enjoyed most about your internship so far?
How helpful and knowledgeable all my coworkers are, I’m learning so much from them.

In what way(s) has your internship here at 19six impacted you?
This internship has made me super excited to join the work force after I finish school.

What is one thing you learned in your internship here at 19six?
Collaboration is an incredibly important skill in the world of architecture.

What led you to design?
I’ve always been interested in being able to create spaces that can affect the people in them.

What aspect of design do you enjoy most?
I like the details. I enjoy zooming into a project and figuring out how all the little parts of it can work together.

What would be your dream project to work on?
A hotel restaurant or bar.

Where do you see yourself in ten years?
Hopefully I will be living in Santa Barbara while working as an architect.

Sandy

Santa Cruz Intern

What attracted you to the 19six internship?  
Continuing my education through real-world, community-driven projects with a passionate team.

What have you enjoyed most about your internship so far?
Visiting construction sites and learning how the various people and aspects are involved and brought together.

In what way(s) has your internship here at 19six impacted you?
It has encouraged me to be bolder and more creative in my own design growth. I have seen how courtyard spaces, covered pathways, and hierarchy help create unique living environments and more thoughtful and holistic spaces.

What is one thing you learned in your internship here at 19six?
I have learned that architecture takes a lot more than interesting drawings to make a good project. It is more about understanding, relating, and clearly communicating those ideas in a tangible way.

What led you to design?
The joy of drawing and being curious. A gifted “How to Draw Architecturally” book when I was young helped me first understand how drawing and creativity can create something much larger.

Where do you find your inspiration?
Nature and the surrounding environment. I believe a good project will feel like it has always been there, fitting in and responding to the landscape and context.

What do you hope to accomplish in the future?
I want to take part in projects that push sustainability and encourage a more direct connection with the environment and local communities.

If you could give your ten-year-old self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Go out and draw what you see. The best way to learn is to take time and try to understand what has been built and created around you, and to understand what does and doesn’t work.

Violet

San Luis Obispo Intern

What attracted you to the 19six internship?
The chance to work with such a celebrated local firm, while also being able to pursue my interest in the marketing field.

What have you enjoyed most about your internship so far?
Digging through the project archives. While collecting information, I got to read about the details and see photos of some wonderful projects from the past 40+ years. Also, it has been a pleasure to work with such talented, kind people.

In what way(s) has your internship here at 19six impacted you?
This internship has given me, an architecture student, the unique opportunity of learning about the very complex, creative and collaborative world of marketing.

What is one thing you learned in your internship here at 19six?
It takes a village! I’ve learned that the success of a project depends not only on how it’s designed, but also on how it’s communicated.

What are you most looking forward to in your future career?
Being able to contribute to and support my community through design.

What would be your dream project to work on?
Comfortable, community-focused, and affordable high-density housing.

If you could give your ten-year-old self one piece of advice, what would it be?
You find your path by walking it.

What is the most inspiring piece of architecture, engineering, or interior design you have visited?
Valley Towers by MVRDV. It is truly mind blowing to see in person.