12 interns spend their summer at OPN
Each summer OPN welcomes interns because we firmly believe in the importance of growing and fostering the next generation of architects. We grow and learn from these emerging professionals as much as they do from working side-by-side seasoned designers.
This year, we are better because these 12 are here. We’ve enjoyed getting to know each of them better. Now you can too:
Connor Shanahan
Madison Studio
What school are you attending/did you graduate from? Iowa State University
Degree and graduation year? Bachelor of Architecture (2024)
Past experience/notable projects/senior thesis? A multi-family project in New York City
Where are you originally from? Sun Prairie, Wisconsin
What do you like about your industry? I enjoy being able to apply technical and artistic skills to create spaces that enhance communities.
What inspires your design? Any project I work on I am always driven by truly understanding who I am designing for. I love learning about the historical and social contexts of the site and the culture and values of all who interact with the design.
If there was a movie about your life, who would star as you? Chris Pratt
Haven Henningsen
Cedar Rapids Studio
What school are you attending/did you graduate from? Iowa State University
Degree and graduation year? Bachelor of Architecture (2023)
Past experience/notable projects/senior thesis? Recently completed an urban transformation project of the San Lorenzo neighborhood in Rome.
Where are you originally from? Cedar Rapids, Iowa
What do you like about your industry? The exploration of materials and our understanding of their capabilities.
What inspires your work? The things that inspire me to create or think about architecture the most are generally influenced by modern and contemporary art, but also through everyday objects that could be manipulated proportionally and/or constructively.
What are you reading right now? “Medium Design: Knowing How to Work on the World” by Keller Easterling
Evan Corkery
Cedar Rapids Studio
What school are you attending/did you graduate from? Iowa State University
Degree and graduation year? Bachelor of Architecture (2023)
What do you like about your industry? Rendering and digital representation to best convey the user experience
Past experience/notable projects/senior thesis? A Construction Management Intern for Abode Construction
Where are you originally from? Marion, Iowa
One fun fact? I have 45 first cousins.
Ashlee Boelter
Des Moines Studio
What school are you attending/did you graduate from? Iowa State University
Degree and graduation year? Bachelor of Architecture, with a Minor in Urban Studies
Past experience/notable projects/senior thesis? Study abroad in Rome studio project (had a large growth from this experience being immersed in the culture and felt growth with the final project)
Where are you originally from? Spirit Lake, Iowa
What do you like about your industry? The opportunities of showcasing creativity from start to finish, while being able to use creativity and design to make an impact on people’s everyday lives.
What inspires your design? I find inspiration in being able to start from a simple vision of a project and continue through the design process to push that vision to the final phases of design, while continuing to grow from the experiences that come with it.
If there was a movie about your life, who would star as you? Emma Watson
Gabriella Saholt
Des Moines Studio
What school are you attending/did you graduate from? Iowa State University
Degree and graduation year? Bachelor of Architecture (2025)
One fun fact? Outside of architecture, I have passions in graphic design, film photography, and fashion!
Where are you originally from? Lakeville, Minnesota
What do you like about your industry? Something I enjoy about architecture is how it sits at the intersection between art and tangible, built experiences.
What inspires your design? Inspiration for design often comes from surrounding context and rigorous iteration. The design process sometimes begins by defining and framing the context and iterating from there.
What are you reading right now? Thermal Delight in Architecture by Lisa Heschong
Hiba Salih
Des Moines Studio, Innovation Team
What school are you attending/did you graduate from? Iowa State University
Degree and graduation year? Bachelor of Architecture (2023)
Past experience/notable projects/senior thesis? Unearthing Thick Injustice – notable project that won the Richard F. Hansen Prize currently working on an independent study about Scales of Afrofuturism. And working on an approved research initiative called Tracing Race.
Where are you originally from? Khartoum, Sudan born in DC raised in Saudi Arabia and Sudan
What do you like about your industry? I love architecture and design for its ability to impact a person’s experience in a space. Learning about how crucial design and intentions are when creating/making a space is something I find to be important when thinking of our positionality.
What inspires your design? Stories and history inspire my design thinking. To be a part of any future there must be an understanding of the past and the stories that the environment holds which included topics of identity, culture, nature, etc.
One fun fact? I love plants, cats and bubbles, and I like to sing.
Madara Wickremasinghe
Cedar Rapids Studio
What school are you attending/did you graduate from? Iowa State University
Degree and graduation year? Master of Fine Arts (MFA) Interior Design – Spring 2023
Past experience/notable projects/senior thesis? I’ve worked as an Interior Designer in Sri Lanka. At ISU, I did projects in Experiential Design, Luxury Residential Design, and Historic Preservation. My Graduate thesis deals with creating interactive Narrative Environments in main lobbies of hotels.
Where are you originally from? Sri Lanka
What do you like about your industry? The ability to change peoples’ perceptions through spaces.
What inspires your design? Those things that are in between everything we make. “A mix of craft, science, storytelling, propaganda and philosophy.”
What are you reading right now? “Vasilisa The Beautiful”, an original 1966 copy of Russian Folk Tales.
Austin Wahl
Cedar Rapids Studio
What school are you attending/did you graduate from? University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Degree and graduation year? Bachelors of Science in Design
Past experience/notable projects/senior thesis? Residential intern, SGH-Dri design competition winner
Where are you originally from? Omaha Nebraska
What do you like about your industry? What I like most is the unknown of architecture in our future, what I mean by that is being able to pave a better future of spatial and experiential qualities without knowing the shift and agenda of tomorrows needs.
What inspires your design? I think what inspires me to is the idea that I can provide better social, spatial and experiential qualities within design to elevate the future of architecture.
If there was a movie about your life, who would star as you? Will Ferrell
Robin He
Cedar Rapids Studio
What school are you attending/did you graduate from? Cornell University
Degree and graduation year? Bachelor of Architecture (2024)
One fun fact? I’m planning to start to design our own clothing line with two friends
Where are you originally from? Chongqing, China
What do you like about your industry? Community and cultural engagement which will let me interact with different people with different cultural background to see what the different lifes in the world are
What inspires your design? Site (topographic) environment, local culture, socio-political philosophy
What are you reading right now? Bamboo: Architecture & Design by Chris Van Uffelen; Shang Shi (a classic Chinese novel written at 1925), by Lu Xun
Paige Ruzicka
Des Moines Studio
What school are you attending/did you graduate from? Iowa State University
Degree and graduation year? Interior Design (2023)
Where are you originally from? Council Bluffs
What do you like about your industry? How there is really no limits, and how creativity is encouraged.
What inspires your design? Nature
One fun fact? I love to paint in my free time!
What are you reading right now? “Make Life Beautiful” By Shea & Syd McGee
Addie Reine
Des Moines Studio
What school are you attending/did you graduate from? Cornell University
Degree and graduation year? Masters in Architecture (2022)
Where are you originally from? Minneapolis
What do you like about your industry? Generating experiences that inspire unexpectedly.
What inspires your design? Reflecting the needs and ideals of a community through the design process
One fun fact? I used to be a dancer.
If there was a movie about your life, who would star as you? Julia Roberts, not because we look or act alike but because I think she’s generally a wonderful actress!
Taylor Boelk
Iowa City Studio
What school are you attending/did you graduate from? Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD)
Degree and graduation year? May 2024 with a B.F.A in Interior Design and Minors in Electronic Design and Design for Sustainability
One fun fact? I skipped 2nd grade.
Where are you originally from? West Branch, Iowa
What do you like about your industry? I like the function and intent behind design and the ways that functional design can also be beautiful.
What inspires your design? In general I am inspired by the world around me. I really enjoy finding shapes, forms, and textures in the natural environment and using those as inspiration for design.
What are you reading right now? I’m currently reading Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers