| MENTORING AN INTERN IS VERY REWARDING |
I recently asked one of my past interns to write about her experience while working at Iconic. How rewarding was to feel that the time it took to sit down and go through the intricacies of the project delivery process, as well as through the gamut of details of the profession, has been paid off. Brittnay was very shy and yet this brilliant student. One can tell her potential and talent from a distance, but only if you take the time to step back and look her as a whole, not just a student. This is what she wrote:

My experience at Iconic Architecture and Design as an Intern
As an intern for Iconic Architecture and Design, I worked closely with Karen Shakman, which, in my experience, can be unusual for a student intern experience. Karen Shakman was the Principal Architect in the firm. She took time to teach the many things I had not learned from my education about the profession. Karen knows the importance of teaching those who work with her and the patience that goes along with it. While some professionals would get frustrated or simply not hire someone with little experience, Karen’s sense of leadership, and result oriented drive created a profitable dynamic between an intern and a growing company. By taking time to mentor, and lead by example, she created a knowledgeable professional and a dedicated individual who desired the best for the company. During my tenure at Iconic Architecture and Design, Karen taught me everything I know about the profession. Her leadership supported my professional growth, starting with learning project standards, to drafting construction documents in a few short weeks.
Karen took the time to take me to construction sites and see the creation of the hard work. This instilled a sense of accomplishment and validation of the effort we were putting into the projects. During a design-build project, the built product in a certain location was not as it was designed. We took images as well as measurements, and went back to the office to incorporate this change into the final set of drawings. As we continued working, I gained the experience needed to redline the construction documents and find errors on my own, giving time for the principal to take on other tasks. Instilling communication, trust and validation between mentor and intern dramatically increased the value of the intern’s work for the company as well as for intern’s education.
Sincerely,
Brittnay Carpenter