My time at NLA was a transformative journey, filled with personal growth and learning. 

Initially uncertain about my post-university career path, I emerged from the internship with newfound confidence and honed organisational and interpersonal skills, thanks to the incredible team and my active role in programming and marketing the London Festival of Architecture. (I particularly enjoyed creating reels & TikToks!)

My understanding of the built environment expanded beyond my university studies, gaining a profound appreciation for the industry’s interconnectedness. NLA also reaffirmed my passion for community engagement especially through this year's LFA theme, "In Common," where I participated in discussions and witnessed inspiring projects led by people deeply committed to positive change in their environments.

I'm immensely grateful for the skills, experiences, and valuable connections I've acquired. A heartfelt thank you to Eliza, Nicola, Grace, and the entire NLA team for their support and recognition of my contributions, creating a truly delightful environment to work in!

During my internship, I had the opportunity to benefit from all the knowledge NLA had to offer, giving me a wider context perspective to the built environment sector. For example, I got to know amazing projects happening in London thanks to our awards, research, talks and tours. I also gained an awareness of the different stakeholders thanks to our wide and varied membership. I gained an awareness of what’s a priority in the industry and where we are headed from the expert panel meetings I sat in on. Finally, I had the opportunity to network with people at all levels in the industry, which was really insightful.

Although I was only doing a temporary internship, I was treated like an equal there and my work contributed to the core functions and values of the company. I can confidently program events and understand all the stages and the co-ordination it takes which I am carrying forward after NLA, by organising an inter-university student design competition. 

I entered my internship experience feeling doubtful about my ability to succeed in a professional setting, but after my time at the NLA, I feel confident and ready to take on new challenges. My team really made an effort to make me feel included and supported especially when I had questions or new ideas. Whether it was creating presentations for our events or helping manage the communications for a large conference, I learned how to take pride in my work. 

Furthermore, my internship at the NLA was also a great place for me to explore my interest in the built environment. I had no prior experience in the built environment and was curious about how I could fit into this space. Through our events, I learned that the built environment industry is more than just architecture. It’s a community of engineers, marketing professionals, urban planners, learning facilitators, and much more.