This summer, TLCD was delighted to welcome Jessica Guo as an architecture intern in our Education Studio. Our aim was to give her a well-rounded view of life at an architecture firm, along with a glimpse into what her future career might hold. And what better way to share her experience than through Jessica’s own words?
My name is Jessica Guo and I will be entering my final year of architecture school at Cal Poly Pomona this fall. I have spent the past year studying abroad in Denmark learning about Scandinavian design principles and traveling around Europe. As much as I loved it, the experience has given me a new appreciation to be back in Northern California.
This summer, I’ve had the opportunity to intern at TLCD Architecture, and it’s been a summer of learning, growth, and hands-on experience. One of the biggest takeaways has been a deeper appreciation for how much thought and care can go even the smallest design decisions. As the saying goes, good design is often invisible, quietly improving lives by shaping the spaces we move through every day.
Growing up in Ukiah, I spent many hours taking art classes at Mendocino College and hanging out with friends at the Library and the Lowery Student Center—both designed by TLCD! I didn’t realize this connection until I started researching firms to intern at this summer, which made joining TLCD feel like a full-circle moment.
The first week I was introduced to the education studio team and quickly jumped into a variety of projects. I got to participate in the Mike Hauser Academy, a summer program that allows incoming high school students to shadow various STEM career options. I got to assist Tamara with the various architectural activities, including teaching students how scale works and building models of their dream hangout spaces. It was great to see how TLCD inspires a new generation of architects and designers.
That week wrapped up with a site visit with Carl to see the construction progress at the Wine Education Center in Napa, as well as some of the K-12 projects that Carl has worked on over the years.
As a part of the education studio, I was assigned to work on two school modernization projects: Sequoia Elementary and Spring Lake Middle school. I got hands-on experience in developing schematic design of new classroom buildings, building expansions, and classroom alterations under the guidance of Sean, Mitchell, and Lauren.
Throughout the internship, I gained insight into the many responsibilities architects juggle—attending meetings and site visits, drafting in Revit, picking up redlines, researching products, doing reference calls, and assembling client presentation boards. I also had exposure to interior design, open practice, and healthcare projects, where I got to learn about feasibility studies and early planning phases of new projects.
One of the highlights included helping the Education team prepare for and attend an interview for a RFQ for Architectural Services with a new school district client. Observing how the firm pursues new work with clients and prepares for an interview was pretty cool. I even got to design a “leave ahead” piece for the interview.
Another memorable moment was a design charette that the education studio hosted to gain fresh perspectives from people outside of our studio, it was inspiring to see how eager people were to pick up their pens and start designing.
One of the most eye-opening lessons of this internship has been seeing the real-world design process from the studio environment in school. In practice, architects must balance user needs, budgets, building codes, DSA compliance, and consultant coordination, all while staying true to the project’s vision. I’ve learned that being an architect isn’t just about designing spaces, it’s about guiding clients through a complex puzzle, working together to find the best solution.
As a student it is gratifying to know that the work that I’ve done this summer will have a tangible impact, improving spaces to be more conducive to learning. It will be exciting to come back next summer and see the construction progress of the two projects I’ve been working on. The experience of working in K-12 can really be summarized by this message inscribed on the exposed beam at the new Montgomery High School Classroom Building “it’s all about the kids!”