I apologize in advance for not updating you on the last few weeks of my internship. However, it has now come to the end and I have decided to update you all on how the last few weeks have been and a final thought on the entire experience. The past 9 weeks of my summer have been like no other. From the vast amount of knowledge I have obtained to the different experiences I have had down here in Georgia, this is definitely an experience I will not forget.

      Over the last few weeks, my practice of design has been stretched to far extremes. I was used in the office to project hop and help with any projects that were on a dead line or needed something that no one else had the time to do. I helped in all sorts of things including; lobby and break room spaces for law firms, courtyards between buildings, interior balcony spaces, office layouts in a church, artwork placement from old buildings to new, coloring plans for marketing, and even more. In these projects I helped with idea boards, 3D models, floor plans, and even some label making. My personal activities in these jobs have been mainly 3D Sketch Up modeling, which I came into this internship not knowing how to use at all, and now I feel as though it is one of my most proficient programs that I have worked in. The last week of my internship, they had me working on a bathroom tile layout to make a design that was based off PacMan for an office. After thinking back on how many projects I worked on and what all I had to do for them, saying just "a lot" would be an understatement for the extents of projects that I worked on.

      The focus of many of my projects was easily 3D modeling for the clients to see and have a visual understanding of the space. However during my time at the internship, I was sent to do 3 different field surveys of 2 empty buildings and one service floor, and worked on updating many line drawings for future design purposes. Within the projects that I took part in, each project was different but by the end of the day, they were all the same in trying to get the work done by a deadline so we could send to the client and then make any purposed changes after the following conference call. However, with that said, it never felt like you were repeating yourself on any work you did.

      When I think about all of the experiences I had at this internship, it wasn't just based on the projects and the work I did. It was the people in the office that made it such a wonderful experience, to call them just employees would be wrong, they were all friends by the end of my 9 weeks there. The office is a good size with about 52 people, but the life of ASD made it so easy for everyone to get together and be no stranger to one another. There was of course the Interiors group, that went to lunch together occasionally, the Architects, who were always willing to help, and the Graphics team that taught me more than I already knew in the unfamiliar programs like Photoshop. The office was so good about leaving work behind and getting together after hours to hang out, from going to the pool as a group or going out to bars on the weekends and even the group of guys I went and played tennis with every Tuesday and Thursday. It felt as though it was a large crazy family that all worked under the same roof.

      When the time came to work though, ASD was not afraid to go above and beyond for their clients. One thing that I quickly began to realize at this office, was they weren't just designing for any scenario, they based it specifically for each client. The design proposals were not just given to anyone, they were done by the principals to make sure they knew every project that was going on. The associates would be the one to lead project teams and schedule everybody to make sure the work got done, and all of the designers helped each other when needed to complete a project. Project costs were never a big ordeal as ASD wouldn't design for the money but for the clients needs. I quickly realized that there is always a way to do a similar thing at a cheaper cost if needed. We were always calling and staying in contact with clients though to make sure we were doing what they wanted and what they liked, the client was always a big part of the design process. ASD's design philosophy, was to make it so perfect that their client would always return to them if they ever needed anything else done, that was where the majority of ASD's clients came from.

      As a quick summary of my 9 weeks; there is one thing I would say, I would not have given it up for anything. I know they say that "studying abroad is the best thing to do" but after these past 9 weeks I feel as though that would be hard to believe. The amount of knowledge I have gained and the real world experience I got is un-measurable. Not only was the work phenomenal but the amount of friends made just from the office and contacts that I now have and will be able to use is more than I ever thought I would have at this point. It makes me look forward to getting out into the real world now but still leaving the chance to live up one last year of college. My summer at ASD will be one that I will never forget.