Going Out of My Comfort Zone | by Laura-Renee Macri

Hi! My name is Laura-Renee Macri and I am a senior studying Environmental and Interior Design at Syracuse University. For as long as I could remember, I’ve been so sure I only wanted to do residential design or just simply decorate homes as a career. My past working experiences consisted of managing an ice-cream store, staging homes, and designing high-end events. Before I started applying for jobs, I wanted the chance to experience what it would be like to work at an architecture firm that specializes in commercial design before I settled on what I always thought I wanted to do. When my former professor and current Interior Designer at NKB, Lauren Zacher, reached out asking if I was interested in applying to be an intern, I knew it would be an amazing opportunity to see if I could succeed in this kind of atmosphere.

At NKB, I was fortunate enough to work on various phases of design, enhance my skills in Revit, pick out materials for GSA projects, and collaborate with Lauren on marketing materials. After working at NKB, I have learned that I love the small firm, team-oriented environment where the architects, engineers, and designers can all work together on the same project. Everyone at NKB was very welcoming and I am sad that my last day for my student internship is approaching.

Post-graduation, I have accepted a job offer as a Junior Designer with LB Architects in New York City. I am very excited to go out of my comfort zone and see what I am capable of doing at an architecture firm.  Without having this experience at NKB, I would not have had the confidence to apply to an architecture firm right out of college and for that I will forever be grateful for the opportunity I had here.

2018 Intern Interior Designers: Allie Eigo (left) and Laura-Renee Macri (right)

An Amazing Opportunity| by Alexandria (Allie) Eigo

Hi I am Allie; I am a senior at Syracuse University studying Environmental and Interior Design. I am from upstate New York and live on Lake George. As a little girl I have always had a passion for interiors, from moving around furniture and making houses on Sims, I knew that this was something I wanted to do in my future. When I was abroad in London last spring I discovered a new passion and appreciation for architectural photography; my love for photography and interiors combined.  I got this amazing opportunity to intern at NKB under Lauren Zacher. Lauren was my teacher my freshman year in college so I was looking forward with working and learning with her again.

At NKB I furthered my knowledge in Revit, learned about the GSA requirements, picked out materials, created a material board, worked on FF&E packages, and fixed redlines on construction documents.  It was a great opportunity seeing how a design firm works on projects in real life compared to school projects. At NKB everyone was so welcoming and helpful during my time there. After interning at NKB, I realized I have an interest in a small firm atmosphere that specializes in commercial design.  After graduation I am planning on applying for jobs in Boston or Charleston to firms that focus on commercial design, lighting design and architectural photography.