In this annual intern roundtable episode of Laying the Foundation, host Skyler Gorsett sits down with CMBA Architects' summer interns—Ava Eisenbarth, Elli Ward, Joshua Etherington, Kamryn Kayser, Kate Hoover, Lauren Vande Griend, Levi Jansma, and Sofia Pignerri—to reflect on their experiences across the firm's various regional offices. The interns share how they moved past traditional administrative duties to dive straight into real-world project work, including K-12 and higher education design, healthcare developments, site visits, and construction administration. They also highlight the welcoming, collaborative office culture that quickly melted away their initial career and software nerves, emphasizing that mentorship and continuous learning are built into every studio. Finally, the group discusses what originally drew them to CMBA, citing local community connections, a supportive team atmosphere, and an unmatched opportunity to have a true voice at the design table.
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Episode Transcript
Welcome to another episode of Laying the Foundation.
(Skyler Gorsett): Hey everybody, welcome to another episode of the Laying the Foundation podcast. My name is Skyler. I am, as usual, your host, and joining me today I have a whole handful of people. Yes, it is our annual Intern Roundtable podcast episode where I sit down with our amazing summer interns and chat with them about their experience of interning at CMBA, what they got to do, what they got to be a part of, what they got to design, and kind of just get their feedback across the board. So joining me today, we have the following: Ava Eisenbarth, Elli Ward, Joshua Etherington, Kate Hoover, Lauren Vande Griend, Levi Jansma, Sofia Pignerri, and Kamryn Kayser. Welcome all of you to the podcast. Thank you so much for taking the time to be here. I know you guys are headed back to school here soon, and by the time this episode comes out, you will probably be back in school, I'm pretty sure. So I'm super stoked to get the opportunity to sit down with each of you and chat. So let's just jump right in and start going through the questions.
All right. So the first question that I have for each of you is where are you currently studying and which office did you get to work with this summer? Ava, let's start with you.
(Ava Eisenbarth): Yeah. So my name is Ava Eisenbarth. I'm from Algona, Iowa. I'm studying architecture at Iowa State. I'm entering my final year there, my fifth year, and I worked this summer in the CMBA Des Moines studio.
(Skyler Gorsett): Fantastic. All right, Elli, what about you?
(Elli Ward): I'm Elli, I'm studying at Kansas State University, and this summer I interned at CMBA in Grand Island.
(Skyler Gorsett): Fantastic. Let's move over to, let's see, Josh. Josh, how about you?
(Joshua Etherington): Josh Etherington. I am in the Sioux City office studying architecture.
(Skyler Gorsett): Awesome. All right, Kamryn, what do you got for me?
(Kamryn Kayser): I am Kamryn Kayser. I go to Iowa State University, and I worked in the Cedar Falls CMBA office.
(Skyler Gorsett): Awesome, I love it. All right, so let's move on to Lauren.
(Lauren Vande Griend): I'm Lauren Vande Griend. I'm at the Sioux City CMBA office. I'm studying architecture at Iowa State University.
(Skyler Gorsett): Levi, my man, what do you got for me?
(Levi Jansma): Yeah. So I currently am studying at South Dakota State University, and I work at the Spencer office.
(Skyler Gorsett): Nice. All right, Sofia, what do you got for me?
(Sofia Pignerri): I'm currently a fourth-year architecture student at the University of Kansas. So I'm in the five-year master's program, and I'm currently in the Des Moines office. I'm originally from Des Moines, so I've been working with them and mentoring underneath Anna Welter.
(Skyler Gorsett): All right. Last but not least, we've got Kate.
(Kate Hoover): My name is Kate Hoover. I go to Iowa State University. I'm going into my third year, and I work at the Des Moines office.
(Skyler Gorsett): All right. Perfect. My second question to all of you, now that we got that out of the way, is what opportunities did you guys have to do things at CMBA? What kind of things did you get to explore? Something that hopefully will help your career path down the road, or maybe you got to try out some design work within a specialized area that you were excited to be a part of. What did you do? Let's kick things off with Josh.
(Joshua Etherington): Yeah, I first was not quite sure what doing a design for a hospital or an elementary school looked like, just with client meetings, budgets, and everything that relates to that. And so I think it was really cool to just get that experience and see what goes on behind the scenes. Getting exposed to that was really helpful, and it kind of showed me what I really enjoy about doing schools or hospitals. So that was really good.
(Skyler Gorsett): Absolutely fantastic. All right. Let's jump over to Sofia.
(Sofia Pignerri): Yeah. So this summer I've mostly been working on projects for the University of Iowa. So a lot of higher education mixed in with some science and healthcare. And then I've also had the opportunity to jump on the Stewart Memorial Hospital project recently. So that was kind of my first deep dive into what healthcare is and how that process goes along with users and clients. For the most part, I've been helping out with some construction administration work with Anna on the University of Iowa project and then design development. So I feel like that has been a really awesome experience considering in school, it's usually just schematic design where we end. So getting to mess around in Revit and learning a lot about program software, processes, and how the teams all work in the office and outside of the office has been really great.
(Skyler Gorsett): Very cool. So you've kind of had an opportunity to get your hands into some of the actual portions of the project. So it's not all just one thing or doing paperwork, there's been actual integration into the project process.
(Sofia Pignerri): Oh, yeah. One hundred percent. Every Tuesday, Anna and I go to Iowa City and check in on construction and pre-bid meetings, doing tours, picking materials, and all the fun stuff. So it's been great to see it in person and behind the screen in the background.
(Skyler Gorsett): Fantastic. What about you, Ava?
(Ava Eisenbarth): CMBA offered a great opportunity to really be a part of the project team. This was something that the interns talked a lot about, how we were really trusted with responsibility and given the chance to design and actually be a part of decisions being made. So getting to apply some of our school knowledge with actual real-world experience was really helpful. I also worked a lot this summer in the K-12 sector, so that was a really good opportunity to see a more specialized approach in what I'm designing, who I'm designing for, and how that might be different from other projects as well.
(Skyler Gorsett): Nice, I love it. Okay, cool. Levi, what about you?
(Levi Jansma): Yeah. So I've done a lot of different things so far. I was here last summer and did a little bit of housing development. Then this summer, I wanted to focus a little bit more on school systems. I didn't know I would love it so much, but I've definitely learned a lot more about it now, and it's something that I want to continue to do in the future.
(Skyler Gorsett): All right. That's good, I like it. Let's jump over to Kate.
(Kate Hoover): Yeah. I've been able to do a lot of different opportunities, working on pre-bond material, getting to go on site visits, and completing renderings that are actually shown to real clients and real people. That's been really meaningful, getting to see happy faces when you show fun work that you've been working really hard on.
(Skyler Gorsett): Awesome. Lauren, what about you? What do you have for me?
(Lauren Vande Griend): A little bit of everything. Some schematic design, more of the construction side, plus a little bit of rendering and post-production work. So I got to see every part of the process.
(Skyler Gorsett): Awesome. All right. Kamryn, what do you got for me?
(Kamryn Kayser): CMBA gives a lot of hands-on experience, whether that's in the office or outside the office. They were willing to go above and beyond to make sure that I had everything I needed to feel comfortable doing the tasks asked of me. They were very willing to take me on site and make sure I got to be exposed to all the things on-site has to offer.
(Skyler Gorsett): All right. Last but not least, we've got Elli.
(Elli Ward): The main area of architecture that I was really interested in going into this summer was elementary education, and I actually had the opportunity to work on two different projects that were really heavy in elementary education. So I was really grateful for that opportunity and found that I did really enjoy it. I got to do a lot of classroom layouts. One of my favorite things was doing kindergarten classroom layouts because it's really fun to see how kindergartners have a lot more specific needs, like cubbies and a sink, playing with different flooring types, and thinking about what it's like to actually learn in that classroom and create an environment that's fun and engaging.
(Skyler Gorsett): Awesome. That is amazing. I'm so glad that you guys had those opportunities. I know that at some firms, interns in the past have said they went to go do their internship and all they did was file paperwork or run and get coffee, doing classic administrative work without touching anything architecture related. So I'm super glad that each one of you got the chance to get involved in real projects and go out to sites. All right, let's move on to the next question. How would you describe the culture that you experienced at CMBA? I know it's a little bit different based on which office you were at, so feel free to go into that based on your personal experience. What was it like? Kicking things off for this question, I'm going to go straight over to Kamryn.
(Kamryn Kayser): In Cedar Falls, we're all very close. When you work with the same five people every day, you really get to know them. Georgia, Trevor, and I, and Mike all sit out in that outer portion of our office and are always having conversations all day long. Then you'll have Dan chime in from his office, and it's super fun. They are more than willing to help you, which means a lot to me because coming into this, you don't necessarily know how to do everything. So feeling comfortable asking silly or dumb questions, they were more than welcome to come and sit with me for a couple of minutes to help figure it out. If I had to ask the question again, they never made me feel like it was a burden.
(Skyler Gorsett): Fantastic. Kate, what about you?
(Kate Hoover): Yeah, this is a workplace, but it's also been a lot of fun. We got to go to a baseball game earlier this summer together as an office outing. We had a cornhole tournament going on, which some people loved and some people didn't. But overall, it was just a lot of fun. We got random partners within our cornhole tournament, so I was with Kent, which was fun. We were not the most talented, but we had a lot of fun. Everybody is super kind, and every morning when you walk in, there's someone to greet you and say good morning. So it's been a good group.
(Skyler Gorsett): Awesome. Lauren, what about you? What do you have for me?
(Lauren Vande Griend): Everyone's very nice, very calm. We have a nice calm over our office, except for a couple key moments. Hearing the music play on Monday at 9:00 AM is great.
(Skyler Gorsett): Absolutely fantastic. All right, let's jump over to Sofia.
(Sofia Pignerri): Here in the Des Moines office, it's pretty fun. It seems like everyone is just kind of one big family or friend group. So that's been really nice to see, and they've been so welcoming to the three of us interns here. We like to do social stuff, and they do their best to include us, like bike rides or our current office cornhole competition. I played that right before this.
(Skyler Gorsett): Oh, nice.
(Sofia Pignerri): Yeah.
(Skyler Gorsett): Do you feel like you have a pretty solid ability to go to people for help or explanation?
(Sofia Pignerri): Oh, yeah. Everyone is so willing to help, and I'm someone that asks a million questions. So it's been awesome to have Anna, who now sits right behind me, and I can just turn around and fire off questions. Or if someone overhears, they'll usually jump in and give a new perspective. Working with different teams, like Peter and Kathy versus Anna and Colette, learning from them and all the different processes has been awesome.
(Skyler Gorsett): Fantastic. Let's move over to Josh. Josh, how about you, man?
(Joshua Etherington): I think, yeah, that's been one of my favorite parts. Talking with some friends about their internship experiences, working with CMBA has just been really amazing. I had a mentor named Tanner, really great guy. But the whole staff in Sioux City felt like they could have been my mentor because everybody was super helpful, made sure I was doing alright, and checked in just for fun to see what projects I was working on. You just feel very welcomed there. You don't feel like an outsider; everybody really caters to you, and they're excited to have you along for the summer.
(Skyler Gorsett): Fantastic. Elli, what about you?
(Elli Ward): Grand Island is very laid back, but the office is just beautiful. It's a great place to be. I'm always excited when I get to work there, big windows, and it's so inviting. It feels cozy and homey, and everyone is just so nice. It feels like everyone's my friend or family.
(Skyler Gorsett): Nice, I love it. Okay, cool. Levi, what about you?
(Levi Jansma): Yeah. CMBA culture, everyone is great, nice, inviting, and wants to help. That helps me as a younger individual; it releases the nerves and helps me learn a lot too. Everybody is fun-loving, and it's basically like a family over there.
(Skyler Gorsett): I love it. And finally, we've got Ava. What about you?
(Ava Eisenbarth): I really like the vibe at CMBA. It's a lot of fun, and it's a very collaborative environment. I feel like we're always talking, helping each other out, or on a Teams call working through design solutions. It's a very personable work environment, which was something I really craved. I'm very much a people person; I didn't want to be in an office cubicle designing by myself. Design for me is a personal experience with the people around me and the client. Being able to be in an environment where that's encouraged is amazing. Everyone is very kind, willing to help, and always jumping in to help interns when we have questions.
(Skyler Gorsett): Awesome. Out of curiosity, it's been a minute since I was in college, but I remember being told you're required to get an internship, and I remember how scary that was, trying to reach out to businesses to find an internship. What was a big worry or fear you had before starting your internship, and at what point did that fear go away once you sat down at your desk? For those of you interning for a second time with CMBA, what were your thoughts going into it? Let's kick things off with Josh.
(Joshua Etherington): I think some fears I had at the beginning involved software we don't use in school, like Revit. There was a little bit of fear of how that would look since most firms use Revit. But being put in an environment where I was forced to learn it, not in an overly high-pressure way, but just working on a project and figuring out how to do certain things, made it a great way of learning. Those fears started going away after realizing there's not a lot of pressure and being honest that I didn't know the software. They understand you won't know everything, so they put you in a position where you can learn as you work.
(Skyler Gorsett): Levi, my man, what do you got for me?
(Levi Jansma): Yeah. This summer I was ready to come back and excited, so not a whole lot of nerves. But last summer, I didn't know what I was getting myself into and I was a little nervous. Once I got into it, though, I realized these people just want to help me grow as a person and an architect. I learned pretty quickly that everybody wants me to succeed.
(Skyler Gorsett): All right, let's jump over to Sofia.
(Sofia Pignerri): I found out about CMBA at the career fair, and that's always intimidating for a first internship. But I was there with Crayton, Kirsten, and Kent, and they were super welcoming right away. Coming into my first internship, I didn't know what to expect; I thought it would be more shadowing or watching. But we had that orientation day where we met each other, and they immediately helped me find resources and made it easy to navigate. I've been really trusted on projects, they just hand me stuff and say, "Do your best, and if you need help, ask." That took away any fears of messing something up because they emphasized that failing is okay and encouraged as a way to learn.
(Skyler Gorsett): Fantastic. What about you, Ava?
(Ava Eisenbarth): This year not so much, but going into last year, I had minimal intern experience. A common concern among young professionals is, "Do I know enough? I don't want to not know anything." But getting into the swing of things and realizing design is a learning process for everybody involved, not just interns, helped. We're all constantly learning together. Within a month into last summer, I realized these people are here to help me succeed, and they want me to learn.
(Skyler Gorsett): Awesome. Let's move on to Lauren.
(Lauren Vande Griend): There are always nerves because you're like, "Am I just going to sit quietly at my desk every day for a whole summer?" That was broken up on the second day when Lee out of the blue said, "Let's go do a punch list." From there, it went right off, and I was like, "Okay, this summer is looking pretty good."
(Skyler Gorsett): That's good. Let's jump over to Kate.
(Kate Hoover): Yeah, I think I did still have a lot of nervousness coming into it because I didn't know what I could bring to the table as one of the younger interns only going into my third year. I learned pretty quickly that everybody here is really willing to help you learn. My mentor, Noah, was really nice to help me out with learning Revit and software things I had never known before this summer.
(Skyler Gorsett): Elli, what about your answer?
(Elli Ward): I was super nervous, even just going up the elevator on my first day. But when the doors opened, everyone was so inviting and took me right in. They had a project for me to start on right away and gave me a brief on the first day. After two or three days, I felt like I had a really firm grasp on it and could start contributing to the project as a whole.
(Skyler Gorsett): And finally, Kamryn. What do you think?
(Kamryn Kayser): I was a little nervous because I came in about six weeks behind this summer. I felt like I'd be behind on projects. Also, in my interview, they wanted me to get into projects more than just at the surface level like last summer, which stressed me out. But they made it super easy and seamless, and I was up to speed within the first four hours of my first day.
(Skyler Gorsett): Awesome. With so many architecture and design firms out there, what was it that really made CMBA stand out to you, or made you want to come back for a second time? Lauren, let's start with you.
(Lauren Vande Griend): I recognized a lot of the projects being from Northwest Iowa. I've seen a lot of your schools and projects, and I knew you had several offices across the Midwest. I walked up to the booth, said I wanted to do schools and historical buildings, and we touched on both.
(Skyler Gorsett): Fantastic. Josh, how about you?
(Joshua Etherington): I chose CMBA because they have an office in Sioux City. I thought it would be an awesome experience to work on projects located in Sioux City or work for a firm where I grew up and went to school. There was a sense of pride in being able to point to a building and say, "My firm did that," versus a faraway firm in a different state where I don't have a connection.
(Skyler Gorsett): Fantastic. Elli, what about you?
(Elli Ward): K-State has a huge career fair, and CMBA was at the top of my list because Grand Island is so local. I had toured the CMBA office in high school, so it was one of the first places I had a relationship with. I already knew what the culture was like, what projects they worked on, and a couple of the people, which made a huge difference.
(Skyler Gorsett): All right. Let's move over to Ava.
(Ava Eisenbarth): I've recognized that the experience I've gotten at CMBA is second to none. I've been given a lot of opportunity as a young designer to have a seat at the table, be involved in conversations with clients, contribute to projects, and have a voice. That's not always common starting out in architecture. Everyone's willingness to help me succeed makes for a comfortable and collaborative office environment.
(Skyler Gorsett): Let's jump over to Kate.
(Kate Hoover): My first impression of CMBA at the career fair was a really big booth with a lot of people willing to talk to you. Having people take time out of their busy day to be there meant a lot. I talked to Kirsten, who was super fun, and Lee and Angela. I wanted to do something in education, and they talked about projects like MOC Floyd Valley, which I had driven by when I was up in Orange City. I was inspired by that one for sure.
(Skyler Gorsett): Kamryn, what's your answer?
(Kamryn Kayser): I chose to intern with CMBA having worked with them last summer because they really fit my personality type. When I proposed the idea of doing a summer studio and they were willing to work with my schedule, when a lot of firms were not, it meant a lot that they were accommodating.
(Skyler Gorsett): Levi, what about you?
(Levi Jansma): Being able to see projects in my own community and seeing the high level of detail and design in those projects, helped it stand out. It looked like a place I would want to be and showed the projects I'd want to be working on.
(Skyler Gorsett): And Sofia, what about you?
(Sofia Pignerri): It's hard to miss the bright orange! But I saw the way they were interacting with each other and other booths, and they seemed like really nice people. My dad is in construction in Des Moines and knew them and said I'd really like them. Overall, it was a friendly conversation. Other firms pry and ask what you can give them, but CMBA was more focused on how they can help you and how we can build something together.
(Skyler Gorsett): That is fantastic. I know Kirsten goes out of her way to build the internship program and make everyone feel welcome. Mentorship is a two-way street; we learn from you guys just as much as you learn from us, bringing new ideas, software, and knowledge into the office. Thank you all so much for joining us over the summer and for sitting down for this podcast. If you're listening and looking for an internship, make sure to check us out at cmbaarchitects.com. If you're a professional looking for a positive workspace, reach out to us there as well. We'll see you next time!