2010 has been an extraordinary year for me. I had an incredible experience studying abroad and living in Rome, Italy, during the first four months of the year. Along with 55 or so of my fellow classmates from Iowa State, I had the chance to live, learn, and engage in the heart of ancient Rome, gaining invaluable insight and great appreciation for the lifestyles and customs of other cities and cultures. The extended stay afforded me the opportunity to travel beyond Italy to six other countries (Norway, Czech Republic, France, Germany, and United Kingdom) and to explore several significant European cities such as Prague, Paris and Berlin.
During the summer I was fortunate to have my first architectural internship, in Cedar Rapids. I spent much of my time writing, making diagrams, and talking to people in the studio to create new and revised project summaries for the firm to use in marketing and promotional materials. It was a great experience that developed valuable new professional relationships. Over the summer I was also able to keep up on developing projects in Cedar Rapids and watch the progress of the new eight-story federal courthouse ascend on the downtown skyline.
This fall I returned to Ames for my final year at Iowa State. I will graduate this spring with a Bachelor of Architecture degree and look forward to whatever comes next. I hope to find a full-time intern architect position in a firm and start working toward licensure.
The new year also marks the fourth year of Urban Thinking, which I established in January 2007. Traffic to the site increased significantly during 2010, with more than 6000 visitors, compared to just 3000 in 2009. I had 69 posts with higher frequency in January and during the summer, as shown in the posts per month chart below.
January 17, 2011 at 9:56 pm
And in a fabulously journalistic manner, you didn’t mention the firm you worked for, and you didn’t find a conclusion for the reader either. Great year and great opportunities was the premise, but at the end…it just was, let the reader make of it what they will.
Bravo.
I think that many of us could learn from your 3rd person perspective. You don’t use “I” as much as some, and you’re strikingly humble as a result. It’s a tone that served you well this last summer, and as I have said, it’s a tone I find missing in most journalists today. It’s an attitude I find refreshing, but I wonder how long you can wear those clothes.
When I know your plans. 😉
I’ll capstone your 2010 retrospective to tell you that your time at OPN Architects in Cedar Rapids was well spent, and very much appreciated by the whole staff. We were doubly glad to have you back over the holidays to work on a model for us, and you’re always welcome here.
Brian