目前是堪萨斯州立大学的四年级学生，Ben加入DMA进行为期6个月的实习. Passionate about architecture and history, amongst other subjects, he is eager to learn much while with us and we’ll make sure to deliver!

1. Where are you originally from?

I was born in Manhattan, Kansas and lived there for a few months. I then moved to Basalt, Colorado for a few years, back to Manhattan until I was five, 然后在南丹佛地区的高地牧场和孤树长大, Colorado. 我就读并毕业于科罗拉多州百年纪念市的阿拉帕霍高中.

2. What inspired you to want to be an architect?

I grew up in a very creative family, and spent a lot of time with my brother and cousins working on art. 我父亲在建筑行业工作了近30年，我从高中的暑假开始和他一起工作. 我想用我年轻时培养的技能来帮助别人. Soon after starting college, I really enjoyed historical architecture and its impacts on civilization, so I decided to change my major to Architecture in the summer of 2019. From that point, 我真的在设计中找到了激情，能够用我的技能帮助别人是如此的值得.

2. Where are you a student?

我现在是堪萨斯州立大学建筑学院的学生, Planning, 攻读建筑学硕士学位，辅修工商管理. I am a fourth year student with an expected graduation date of May 2023.

3. Why did you want to do an internship? And why at DMA?

我想做实习是因为我可以在现实世界中获得工作经验. 在过去的三年里，学校教会了我很多东西, but there are also a lot of things it hasn’t. 为一家成熟的公司工作可以让我作为一名设计师得到提高，并学到有价值的信息，并将其带入我学校的最后一年. I chose DMA because of the quality and type of work they do. 在学校里，我们倾向于关注更多的假设设计和项目的更广阔的图景. DMA在住宅和其他非住宅项目上的工作显示了高质量的细节和重要性，这在学校被忽视了. 我一直喜欢小细节和高质量的工作，我相信DMA是我学习建筑的最佳选择. 他们的作品真正反映了他们的设计理念和职业道德，这也是我想加入他们团队的一个重要原因. I also found the size of the firm appealing, 与在大公司工作相比，能够亲自与整个公司合作更符合我的学习方式. 我真的很喜欢这个办公室里每个人的那种关系. 想要为DMA工作的一些非职业原因与在怀俄明州杰克逊工作有关. Growing up in Colorado was amazing, 住在落基山脉是我一直想回去的地方.

4. Anything specific you’d like to share about your studies?

I am really proud of the program at Kansas State I am in. I’ve been very appreciative of Kansas State University, the College of Architecture, Planning, and Design, as well as all the supporters of my professional program. 我真的相信我正在接受高质量的教育，作为一个人，我在不断地学习和成长. I’ve also seen this among my classmates and peers, 每个人都在推动彼此成为更好的设计师，并不断地支持每个人. I believe the atmosphere among the classmates, peers, friends, professors, and administration is unmatched and I am proud to be a part of it.

5. What will you be helping us with? 

I plan on taking advantage of every opportunity given to me here at DMA. 我希望能充分利用我的经验，对办公室里的每个人都有积极的影响. 我的目标是把我学到的东西应用到我以后的职业生涯中.

在学校实习期间，我还会写一篇研究论文. 这个研究课题不仅对我的学术生涯有好处，对DMA也有好处. Due to the high impact of the climate and environment of the area, 我打算在像杰克逊这样的极端气候下研究设计的一个方面. Hopefully my research will not only benefit my academic career, but also DMA and others who work in this area.

6. Is anything surprising you working in a business vs. a school environment?

Yes, definitely. As mentioned earlier, school focuses on the broader scope of a project. There isn’t usually a concern about budget, material choices, or working alongside others in this profession like engineers, contractors & subcontractors, and owners. 接触商业环境确实帮助我理解了建筑的物流和现实. In school, there is a common language that can easily be understood by everyone; both visual and verbal. 这让我们变得过于有创造力，而不用担心外部的清晰度. In the real world, not everyone speaks the same language. 一致和清晰的工作是DMA真正引以为傲的，学习他们的语言改变了我对架构的看法，以及如何与业务之外的其他人交流. I’ve really learned how important it is, not only to get the design across to everyone, but to create an environment that establishes new relationships. That’s another really important thing I’ve learned more about, and I think DMA is extremely successful with this.

7. Tell us about a challenging project you worked on and feel pleased with.

我在上个学期(2021年秋季)在堪萨斯州立大学的建筑设计工作室V工作过一个具有挑战性的项目. Under Professor Chad Schwartz, we were tasked with researching, designing, 并详细介绍了托皮卡家庭暴力幸存者的共同住房综合体, Kansas. This project had a program of 10 residential units, a community area, administration space, a community daycare, and a secondary public program. 这是一个长达一个学期的项目，需要专业和同理心的成熟. Because of the sensitivity of the topic, understanding the user was vital. Over the course of the design, I learned more about how to design for people, 而不是创造有趣的建筑，这对我作为设计师来说是非常有益的. 这个项目挑战我从别人的角度思考，并以一种不仅安全的方式设计, but also healing and inviting. 与家庭暴力倡导者和专家玛格丽特·霍巴特(Margaret Hobart)一起工作也是一段很棒的经历, 她对幸存者康复和个人成长之间的平衡的洞察力使每个人的设计都得到了显着改善. 到目前为止，这是我在学校最喜欢的项目，我觉得我的作品真的反映了我所付出的努力. After just a few weeks here at DMA, 我真的很想重新审视这个项目，并从我学到的东西中改进.

8. What's your favorite social media platform?

My favorite social media platform is Instagram or Twitter. 我很喜欢运动，所以我主要用它来跟上我最喜欢的球队. 我不是很活跃，当它涉及到公开发布，但我喜欢使用它.

9. What do you enjoy doing in your free time?

In my free time, 我真的很喜欢看体育比赛(尤其是学校的球队)，尤其是足球和篮球. I also enjoy going to K-State Football, Basketball, and Women’s soccer games and other university events. I also enjoy playing sports and spending time with friends. I am also a big fan of media and film. 我喜欢《韦德注册平台》和漫威，花了很多时间观看和学习. History is another big interest of mine, 我喜欢看历史题材的节目和纪录片，对学习古代文明充满热情, comparative religion, and cultures. 我有三只狗和一只猫，所以我也花了很多时间和动物在一起! I enjoy archery, fishing, hunting, and spending time outdoors as well.

10. Anything else you’d like to share?

我很高兴能认识DMA的每个人，享受我在杰克逊的时光!