Externships in Retrospect: Aidan Williams

The Weitzman externship program offers students in architecture, city planning, historic preservation, and landscape architecture the opportunity to take their learnings outside of the classroom and gain first-hand knowledge of practice. Externships typically last from one to two weeks and run during winter and spring breaks. Aidan Robert Williams is a Master of Architecture student who expects to graduate in 2028; his externship was with in situ studio, Raleigh, North Carolina.

What was your goal in joining the externship program? 

Prior to Weitzman, my internship experience was primarily at larger engineering-heavy firms. The externship program felt like the perfect opportunity to gain design knowledge elsewhere, which exceeded my expectations. By working for a design firm that has remained intentionally small, my eyes were quickly opened to the freedom, and beauty, of custom client-focused design; I highly recommend taking a look at their inspiring work.
 

What aspect of the experience did you like best? 

It is hard to pick just one, but all of the site visits were unlike anything I have been exposed to previously. Listening in on client and consultant discussions, hearing the inevitable problem/solution conversations on site, and seeing each of the unique phases of a project’s present condition had me ready and excited to return the next day. Beyond this, the in situ team welcomed me with open arms, answered any and all of my questions, and were genuinely excited to teach a young student and professional. I was able to learn inside the office, through research and design discussions, and outside, by experiencing Raleigh and Chapel Hill with the team.
 

How did the externship clarify your career goals?

Not to sound cliché, but this externship completely changed the trajectory of my career and my future intentions. Coming into graduate school, I wasn’t quite decided on what “specialization” the architecture path would take me down. After my week at in situ studio, my goals to become a licensed architect and one day open my own sustainable/adaptive reuse residential design practice have never been clearer. I want to thank Weitzman’s Office of Professional Development and Career Services and the entire ISS team for such an amazing opportunity.