By Jamie Kelleher
Staff Writer
Many high school students are preparing themselves for their future and beyond, whether it be taking difficult classes or involving themselves in a multitude of extracurricular activities. Two Costa sophomores have taken their future interests to another level with a summer internship.
The exceptions are Mira Costa sophomores Sarah Kennedy and Blake Smith, who received the opportunity to work in a paid internship at the Los Angeles-based, eco-friendly architecture firm, Gensler, this summer. Gensler CEO Andy Cohen introduced the two to the firm when he led a workshop through the Manhattan Beach Mayor’s Council that Kennedy and Smith participated in.
“I was so interested by his presentation that I talked to him afterward for awhile and then emailed him my resume along with a letter on why I would love to intern at Gensler,” Kennedy said.
When the two interviewed at Gensler’s L.A. office, they already had a recommendation from Cohen. However, they both had to provide a list of their accomplishments and a letter of interest in order to receive the internship.
Cohen and Gensler employees made it clear to the students that this would not be the average “getting coffee and filing papers” type of internship. Kennedy will be working in the interior design section, and Smith will decide which department he will work with once the internship begins.
“I’m excited to be working with experienced Gensler employees that can teach me more about the company and this field of work,” Smith said. “I will be able to work with the department of my choice and assist them with their current projects.”
Although Kennedy and Smith will get this hands-on experience, they have not yet taken the architecture classes needed for the designing of buildings. Both students will work for 30 days in July from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and use the Metro to commute.
“One of Gensler’s projects is redesigning the Metro to make it more user friendly,” Kennedy said. “I’ve never really had a reason to use the Metro, so I’m excited to experience the changes that are taking place in Los Angeles public transit system.”
Kennedy and Smith both hope to be offered a full-time position at the firm. While Kennedy and Smith appreciate the perk of a paid internship, both of them believe that the overall experience will be far more valuable after they graduate from college.
“This internship is a great opportunity for me to get experience using the technologies in the architectural field today and to work on real world problems,” Smith said.
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