Hi–I’m Lily! I’m a fourth-year interior design student at the Fay Jones School of Architecture + Design (FJSoA+D). I’m from a small town—Poteau, Oklahoma—and currently live in Fayetteville, Arkansas to pursue my undergraduate degree at the University of Arkansas (UArk). When I’m not busy with studio work, I can be found rummaging for estate sale treasures, roller skating and playing tennis at local parks, planning cost-effective road trips, and creating floral arrangements. I’m passionate about learning and sharing stories through the fusion of human interaction and design. I believe art and design can be used as a medium to honor individuals and expand perspectives through inclusivity and accessibility. I’m always looking for opportunities to expand my perspective on sculpting the built environment.
As a student of the FJSoA+D and UArk, I admire that these communities emphasize honesty, integrity, and hardwork. These attitudes can be realized through their reassuring standard of either a required or recommended internship. Through these experiences, students grow, connect, and learn with and from professionals in their industry of study. Needless to say, this inspired me to find an internship for the summer. I accepted an internship offer for the Lisa Galano Design Consultancy (LGDC) and immediately knew that my skill set, career path, and future community contributions would benefit from this learning opportunity.
During my second year as an undergraduate, I held an internship position at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art in the Exhibition Design department. The position expanded my skills in digital drawing representation, model fabrication, exhibition installation, and professional interaction. While experiencing this environment, I realized my love for the challenge of working solo, while contributing to a larger collaborative group. The internship experience solidified my interest in interdisciplinary work and added a level of experience in a professional setting. This interdisciplinary desire aligns with the interests illustrated by the LGDC team–and inspired me to reach out concerning an internship.
During my time at LGDC, I was given a glimpse of the day-to-day operations of a small-scale interior design firm. The firm is run by Lisa Galano–and is made up of a small group of women. I relocated for the summer to New York City, where I underwent the internship. My boss, Lisa, and the rest of the team welcomed me with open arms and continuously involved me in day-to-day operations. These tasks included art installations, furniture installations, and requesting quotes from vendors, organizing client budgets, creating receipt summaries, organizing project timelines, updating specification sheets, order finishing samples, draftings architectural plans and details, managing project binders, sourcing warehouse equipment and coordinating storage, accessing inventory, sending orders to vendors, and managing storage and vendor relationships. Besides drafting architectural plans, I was unfamiliar with working in those areas in a professional context. Thankfully, Lisa and Camille, my immediate supervisor, were remarkably accommodating and answered questions thoroughly and with encouragement. Their personable approach offered an opportunity to build long-lasting mentor/mentee relationships. The opportunity heightened my skill set by immersing myself in the professional industry.
Ultimately, the internship provided real-world experience that will allow me to help others in the future. Whether I live back home in Oklahoma or my new home in Fayetteville, I will always have the urge to help and inspire others. The skills that I have learned from this internship will provide a strong toolkit for me to help various design fields in the future. I believe this opportunity has successfully enhanced my future career and will allow me to help other students in the future with my gained experience and perspective. I cannot thank the UArk community enough–through informational, emotional, and monetary support. This internship experience has certainly been a transformative experience for my personal career path. I am grateful for the faculty’s support of the UArk to celebrate with its students when opportunities come their way after a season of hard work. I am so grateful for all those who helped me get to use this opportunity. LGDC, FJSoA+D, and UArk will help inspire and motivate me through the growth of my personal skill set, career path, future community contributions, and beyond.