In early 2023, I came across a bright yellow booth at the University of Houston’s College of Architecture and Design. I was a third-year Architecture student with zero experience attending the Career Fair for the first time, so you can imagine the nervous buzz I felt walking through a sea of students – my friends, peers, upperclassmen – waiting turns to talk to established professionals in the industry we were all looking to be a part of. In hindsight, I’m incredibly glad I ventured into something that felt so daunting at the time; my hope is that I can encourage anyone who might be considering it to do the same.

Flash back to me walking through the atrium at the school I felt I never left at that time, holding the thin proof of my very limited experience, staring at dozens of booths staffed by people who, frankly, did not look like me. I easily could’ve turned around and waited until next year’s career fair. I carried on though, having conversations where I could quickly tell whether I was interested in the firm (and vice versa). No shame in being aware of these things, as it kept me from being somewhere I didn’t need to be – and made it painfully obvious when I’d found something that was for me. After hitting it off at the career fair, I came to the Project Luong office for an interview where I got to meet the entire team (yes –literally everyone attends and participates in the interview). Again, daunting, but I made it through.

I started my internship in May of 2023, and hit the ground running that summer. Of course, I felt inexperienced and nervous to fail, and I did not want to jeopardize this opportunity. But with the support and resources the team gave me, I knew I owed it to myself to trust in my own abilities. This is what I had studied and worked so hard for. It helped that when I’d look around the office, I’d see a team of dedicated self-starters, well-rounded designers, and hard workers. I had examples of who I wanted to be surrounding me. So when I was asked if I wanted to continue the internship, with flexibility to focus on my studies, how could I say no?

For anyone who is currently an architecture student, though I’ll try, I can’t fully express how valuable it was to experience firsthand what the day-to-day looks like at an architecture firm while earning my degree. For starters, it helped me shed all of the bad habits that become so normalized in studio. I could no longer ruminate in design paralysis, because deadlines are way more consequential in the real world (and there’s no hiding from your project manager the way you would a professor!) I also had to fix my sleep schedule to wake up bright and early for the work day – and trust me when I say getting consistent sleep again made a difference for the better.

I won’t lie to you and say that I did not pull an all-nighter to finish studio work ever again, but it becomes very, very difficult to justify as your mindset shifts – once you understand your limits, and the quality of the results you can achieve at your best. I was able to build confidence in my skills throughout the internship and at architecture school because I knew what I was capable of, simple as that. You don’t need to oversell yourself because at the end of the day, my one big takeaway from working with professionals at different phases of their careers is that you never stop learning! There is always a way to better yourself, grow and learn. I’m grateful to find myself in a space where this is not only encouraged and supported, but embedded in the core values of the firm.

Last month, I graduated with my Bachelor’s degree in Architecture – and celebrated my two-year anniversary at Project Luong. Though the firm has gone through quite a few changes, the transparency provided during ups and downs and everything in between has helped me better understand the complexities of what it means to be a practicing architect. Now that I’ve moved on to be a Design Professional, I feel I’ve solidified the path I started on all those years ago. At the time of writing this I am only three weeks into this new chapter of my career – but I know the journey so far has prepared me for what’s to come!

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