Date Posted: 12.26.2024
Student interns are an important part of the culture at Mithun. While they’re here, students gain a first-hand perspective of the field while working as part of our interdisciplinary design teams on projects spanning housing, education, cultural and workplace typologies. Weekly activities include design explorations, renderings, marketing, research, shadowing, site visits and client meetings, as well as office enrichment like the Mithun Summer Games, Mithuniversity continuing education and afternoon Creative Series.
As we prepare to open applications for our Summer 2025 internships, Mithun asked two of our student interns about their experiences spending a summer at the firm.
Stephanie Williams first joined Mithun after her first year in the University of Washington Master of Architecture program. She found her way to architecture while looking for a career change.
“My undergrad degree is in computer science, so very tech-focused,” she said. “I worked for a while in retail visuals and was a stay-at-home mom as well. I think I’ve always been a bit of a designer at heart, and architecture for me is a great blend of art and science.
At Mithun specifically, everybody values all of that diverse background and all of those experiences.”
Alborz Nazari applied while nearing the end of his Master of Architecture degree at the University of Oregon, studying advanced technology with a special focus on passive design and mass timber construction.
“I’m fascinated by exploring different scales of design and finding the best solutions. I love rethinking ideas at the intersection of art and engineering and exploring various disciplines through the lens of design.”
WHY MITHUN
When asked about what made her want to return to Mithun for a second summer, Stephanie said, “I know that this firm does the kind of work I want to do, and has a moral center that I’m aligned with. I knew I would grow more and get to work on interesting things, and there’s a great office culture.”
Alborz was a first-time Mithun intern, but found that as he was exploring firms, Mithun was unique. “What really stood out to me at Mithun was the strong collaboration between different disciplines. The team’s focus on merging diverse fields into integrated design solutions, from large-scale projects to the smallest details, was truly impressive.”
HANDS-ON LEARNING
Summer interns are exposed to a variety of typologies and people across our offices and disciplines. Each new project team provides opportunities to practice and sharpen skills in different stages of the design process.
Stephanie’s work included an R&D project, renderings and awards graphics. “Right off the bat, I was supported, with people interested in my success. They were always open to what I wanted to do. It tended to be a mixed scope of projects. Part of the reason I liked working here is that Mithun has such a broad set of typologies they work on and an interdisciplinary process.”
In addition to his experience working with Mithun’s project teams, Alborz spent six weeks apart of a competition team. “What really stood out was being trusted to join the competition team from day one, and I’m grateful for that trust. It was a design-build competition, so I had the chance to see how a project starts from scratch, with weekly meetings and finalizing the design based on the project’s needs, at a fast pace. Learning how to effectively communicate with both our team and the construction firm was incredibly valuable.”
MITHUN CULTURE
We’re proud of our friendly, teamwork-driven culture that encompasses everything from lunch and learn courses and design crits to office-wide celebrations. Interns are encouraged to participate in events and to build connections outside of their project teams.
Stephanie and Alborz happened to join Mithun during the biennial Mithun Olympics, a long standing firm tradition inspired by, and coinciding with, the Olympic Games. Both embraced the lively event with smiles and a competitive spirit. When asked about non-project highlights from their internship, they had similar responses.
“The Mithun Olympics were amazing!” Stephanie said. “People at Mithun know how to have fun and goof off together. They do serious work here and they take their work seriously, but then they also launch Barbies over a high jump bar.”
Alborz reflected on the variety of experiences he’d had. “The Olympics were fantastic and really enjoyable, along with several great events and site visits. For me, the design critiques were also a highlight, even with all the other fun and exciting activities happening.”
ADVICE FOR FUTURE INTERNS
Stephanie offers, “Be really curious about what a firm does, and dig in as much as possible before applying and interviewing for internships. Find something that aligns with your values and that you’d want to contribute to. Looking through Mithun’s R&D projects was valuable for me to see what Mithun is interested in and how that aligns with my goals.”
Alborz’s advice is to “Stay eager to learn! At Mithun, you’ll have the opportunity to jump in and learn from professionals and great people. There are so many chances to get exposed to different projects, take advantage of courses offered, and learn through tutorials posted [on the company intranet]. It’s a fantastic opportunity to both enjoy and grow.”
We’re excited to see the trajectories of Stephanie and Alborz as they continue their studies and begin their careers. If we’re fortunate, they may land back in our Seattle, San Francisco or Los Angeles offices, as many of our past student interns have.
If you’re an architecture, interior design, landscape architecture or urban design student who thrives in an interdisciplinary environment, join us for a 10-week internship to design for positive change! We want to hear from you!
Applications for internships beginning late spring/early summer 2025 will open on our Careers page January 27 and close on February 21.
