Landscape Architecture graduate student Alice Calmon is spending her summer gaining valuable experience as an intern for EDSA, a planning, landscape architecture and urban design firm in Florida.
During her internship, Calmon has worked in all project phases. For example, she assisted in research for new projects and created concept images in Photoshop and presentations in InDesign. Calmon has also produced hand drawings, developed construction documents in CAD (Computer Aided Design), and developed illustrative master plans.
“I even got the chance to visit construction sites and some of the companies’ built projects.” – Alice Calmon
During her internship with EDSA, Calmon says she has improved her technical and hand graphic skills while also learning a tremendous amount about professionalism and collaboration in the workplace.
Calmon describes the first two weeks of her internship as consisting of CAD training and a hand graphics workshop in the company’s headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
“EDSA is a company that values hand drawings because it is the quickest and most efficient way to put ideas into paper to share with our coworkers and even present to the client.”
She mentions that the company only uses computer graphics and CAD once a project is in more advanced stages.
In the OU Landscape Architecture program, Calmon says it is easy to connect and create relationships with classmates and professors. Calmon said her favorite part about the Landscape Architecture program is how small it is.
“It allows me to focus on the areas that I’d like to study the most because I have the support and assistance I need from my mentors” she said.
One project she is most proud of is “The University of Oklahoma Riverwalk,” her design for a campus plaza and park.
For incoming students, she says that studio courses provide a learning community and suggests getting input from classmates on projects. She also suggests networking during all available opportunities.
“Don’t be afraid to network. Talk to people, introduce yourself, call firms that you’re interested in working at, and schedule visits. When looking for internships and jobs, showing interest is just as important as having a great portfolio.”
Photos provided by Alice Calmon
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