RRSLA INTERNSHIP BLOG 2025

Today is the first day of my third week at Pharis Design. I have already been here for almost a month! The office is split into two sides, planning and landscape architecture. I am in the planning office which is right next door to the landscape architecture office. I help both sides on their projects. Right now I am working on conceptual designs for a park in a community outside of Leander Texas called Bryson. My coworkers said this community has been great to work with (they started the project 5 years ago when the community did not exist and have been planning it ever since). A lot of times they said it is difficult to get existing cities to understand why implementing green infrastructure techniques and other sustainable construction techniques are important. Bryson is better because the community started from nothing so they want to use techniques that will keep it thriving for a long time and are more open minded about trying new things. My part in this community involves designi...

Hi everyone! I have just finished my first week working at Design Workshop in Aspen, CO. I have only been here since the 17th and have been spending most of my time exploring the area and moving into my studio apartment in Basalt, CO. Everyday I take the bus to work in downtown Aspen. The commute is around 30 minutes depending on traffic and the amount of snow on the road! However, it is much nicer than having to drive myself. Aspen and nearby communities such as Basalt, Carbondale, and Glenwood Springs are all within the Roaring Fork Valley and surrounded by mountains. The scenery is so beautiful! The first thing I did when I moved here was go skiing - duh!! There are four mountains/areas in Aspen where you can ski and snowboard: Aspen Mountain, Aspen Highlands, Buttermilk, and Snowmass. This past weekend, the Winter X Games were held in Aspen which was really cool to see. People here are very outdoorsy and casual; I've been wearing snow boots everywhere - even to work. The ...

Hey all, Today is Monday of my second week at CARBO. Austin and I are getting settled in at the office over here on Laurel St.- it is a relaxed atmosphere but clearly a productive one as well. I am receiving more tasks every day, and look forward to building the trust and relationships needed to receive more jobs and responsibilities. I walk to work everyday, which is something I never realized the value of until I did it- it's awesome. The people here are awesome too, another thing that makes the world of difference in a job to me.  Since we are required to do this blog post, I think it could be useful to share strategies and questions about winning at interning with each other.  First impressions on being an intern? Do you have too much responsibility or too little? Do you find yourself talking or listening more? How is your commute? Best, Charlie running errands for Jeff (Shoutout to Conner) Friday beer

Getting to my apartment was interesting, since my electricity wasn't turned on. Otherwise it's a nice place. Work is only a 6 minute drive away, and biking is a good option too. My truck wouldn't start on the first Saturday, so I was lucky to replace the battery that same day. My first day was Tuesday the 7th. They threw me straight into all of the projects and I co-designed a courtyard. We also went on a site visit where I got more insight into interacting with a client and working on a project from the beginning. There's also a lot of time spent in Autocad and Adobe so far, and I'm glad they are patient with all my questions.  I'm having a great time exploring the city and neighborhoods on my bike. There's lots of nice parks and trails with creeks and hills. Looking forward to learning more this week.

Charlie and I finished off our first week at the CARBO office today. It’s been nice getting to know everyone and helping out when I can. One of my jobs is to water their green wall behind the front desk, which sounds fun but actually the plants are full of mealybugs, and it takes 40 ish minutes to water the whole thing. So far I’ve helped work on a few of their current projects, making changes to their CAD drawings. Hopefully next week I’ll become more familiar with all of their projects so that I know what the heck people are talking about all the time. It’s awkward and intimidating starting a new job, but I’m excited to see where it goes. Mealybugs!

The first week in Colorado has been a packed one, from the 18-hour drive from Louisiana, watching the national championship game at the LSU bar in Denver, and to finish it off a snowboarding trip. Boulder is a great city with lots of outdoor recreation. The apartment I'm renting is in a mixed-use neighborhood, with businesses and restaurants on the exterior and housing and green spaces on the interior. I start work Monday with a site visit to Breckenridge, CO, and a design charrette.

Today is my first day at Pharis Design. Everyone is very friendly. A lot of people are out right now with a sickness caused by the cedar pollen here, which is crazy. My first project is a dog park for a small community in Leander Texas. The client was inspired by Levy Park. Will let yall know how it turns  out. Austin is great. There is so much hiking, outdoor activities and beer. My apartment has direct access to the Baron Creek Greenbelt. There is a bunch of local breweries that only brew for Austin, so many to try. I cant wait until its warm enough to swim in all of the natural pools and springs. I hope everyone has a great first day! Happy New Year! -Emily