Ashlea Bills is a veteran intern in the Austin, Texas Atwell office. Through multiple semesters of her internship, she has had the unique opportunity to work on both engineering and landscape architecture projects for Atwell and RVi. In recognition of National Intern Day, Ashlea offers insight into her two-year intern experience with everything from plant walks to proposals.
Interning at Atwell and RVi has been such a valuable and enjoyable experience. The summer of 2024 is my second full summer with the company, and my third experience overall, as I also completed a short winter internship. I’ve spent time in the Tampa, Orlando, and Austin offices, and have gotten to know great people and gain invaluable experience at each location.
The company culture encourages an engaging atmosphere where interns can thrive
Atwell does a great job at setting up interns for success on their first day by making the transition from education to work seamless and enjoyable. For interns with an in-office experience, email, programs, and a welcome box with company swag are waiting for you at your workstation. Weekly virtual talks from departments across Atwell educated us on the vast opportunities at the company, while multiple photo challenges, a book club, and more made the intern experience playful and engaging.
Throughout the internship, Atwell is intentional about crafting a memorable experience and encouraging interns to be as engaged as they’re willing to be. As the first internship experience for most interns, the exposure to adjacent professions provides more visibility to project processes that directly influence our work. More than anything else, Atwell stands out because of the people and the connections, despite the geographic expanse of its offices. Each office has a diversity of work and people who are passionate about the work they do.
From what I’ve seen, encouraging growth doesn’t stop at the intern level. Management really cares about the experience and growth of their teams, regardless of discipline. I hear about the passion employees have for their respective focus, and their mutual interest in other projects going on across the office. To see curiosity as a consistent part of the culture is refreshing and serves as a reminder of what makes our work exciting.
Genuine interactions to work with and learn from leaders
Every office and manager I have worked with has been dedicated to supporting my professional development. They have each placed an emphasis on identifying the skills I wanted to gain during my time working on the available project palettes. I’ve had the opportunity to experience different project scopes, clients, and creative processes across the country.
At Atwell, Stuart Davis, an engineer, has taught me a lot about site water runoff coefficients, and how to evaluate potential storm water issues using elevation profiles. He’s gone above and beyond by walking me through simple issues he’s seen and detailing creative potential solutions as compared to the more common solutions I’ve seen. He has always been thorough in linking local codes and walking me through the nuanced language. To say he’s been a valuable resource during my time here feels would be an understatement. It’s so encouraging as an intern when someone does more than just answer a question but includes details to ensure comprehension. Having those professional relationships across disciplines makes for stronger designs.
At RVi, I’ve gained knowledge in various ways, from plant walks with Associate Project Manager Abby Brayton, to hand sketching lessons with Associate Principal Jack Caldwell, to park planning design with Associate Project Manager Madison Dalke and Director of Park Design Drew Carman. My favorite memory with RVi was a lunch sketch session during my first week. The designers and managers in the office gathered around the conference table and took two to three minutes to sketch a plant presented on the screen. Afterward, we compared our sketches, discussing what we saw in shape, texture, form, and presentation. The sketches varied between managers, designers, and myself, with each of us seeing something different and valuable from the same photo. As simple as a charette may seem, it was an opportunity to teach detail and perspective.
The impact we have on the communities we serve matters to us
Additionally, the people at Atwell have an unparalleled passion for community. It’s expected in this industry to have a pulse on the community at large, but each week, we received emails and social updates about how our offices embraced the community events going on around them. It’s clear that it’s not about promoting Atwell, but moreso an authentic drive to be involved in the community and engage with the people and lives our designs influence.
Applying my internship experience to school and future work
I plan to spend the rest of my summer squeezing as much from this experience as possible. This includes additional education on the evolution of work from project inception through the proposal process, and expanding my understanding of how important prescribed burns are to the native Texas grasslands. I’ve found myself questioning how common material choices in populated landscapes can prevent urban fires, while also promoting this important natural disturbance regime. It’s questions like these that I’ll take back to school and have time to explore.
I’ve enjoyed each office and made friendships in each city that I will cherish throughout my career, whether that begins or ends with Atwell and RVi. The standard that Atwell has set on the quality of career, work-life balance, office culture, and community engagement has influenced the foundation of my trajectory going forward. But what’s even more meaningful than my experience with Atwell as a company is my experience with the people of Atwell, who I’m endlessly thankful to have met, worked with, and learned from.
