Our Interns Make an Impact:
Celebrating National Intern Day 2025
This summer, Norris Design is hosting 9 interns across our nine office locations. In celebration of National Intern Day, we’re sharing a little bit about their experiences here! We asked each of them to tell us about their favorite part of their internship so far and what they are looking forward to accomplishing during the rest of their time. This is what they said:
Carson Trejo
Attends Utah State University and is interning in our Denver office.
What has been your favorite part about your internship so far?
My favorite part of the internship has been my involvement in community outreach. It puts the significance of the work we do into perspective when you are able to directly interact with the people you are designing for.
What are you looking forward to accomplishing during the rest of your time here?
I have been able to work on some small but really interesting projects that I will be able to see through the entire design process, except for the construction. Coming into the internship, I was told that I probably wouldn’t be able to experience this, so I am really excited to be a part of a couple of projects from start to finish.
Charlotte Greenberg
Attends University of Georgia and is interning in our Denver office.
What has been your favorite part about your internship so far?
I’ve really enjoyed getting to be in such a creative and collaborative environment! It’s nice to be able to go up to anyone and ask for their opinion or help on a project. It’s been a lot of fun and everyone is so kind!
What are you looking forward to accomplishing during the rest of your time here?
I’ve been loving learning all of the new tips and tricks for programs I’ve been using for years. It’s allowed me to work a lot faster and I’m excited to see what level my skills are at by the end of the summer. I can’t wait to take what I’ve learned here at ND back to school with me and carry it with me through the rest of my career as a landscape architect!
Eddy Chavira
Attends Colorado State University and is interning in our Fort Collins office.
What has been your favorite part about your internship so far?
Hi y’all my name is Eddy Chavira, during my time here at Norris I’ve really enjoyed getting to know the team in the Fort Collins office, they recently introduced me into playing golf, and it’s become a very popular activity for me this summer, Aside from that , I like to spend my free time outdoors with close friends and family. My favorite part about my internship here at Norris has been that I got to actively participate and design irrigation systems in current projects. It taught me the importance of communicating with the team, and the importance of design especially when it comes to water efficiency.
What are you looking forward to accomplishing during the rest of your time here?
With the remainder of my internship, I plan to continue expanding my irrigation knowledge and skills. I am excited to see my improvement as a designer as I’ve navigated through different projects of different sizes. And I look forward to being an effective and efficient designer.
Jared Jorde
Attends Arizona State University and is interning in our Phoenix office.
What are you looking forward to accomplishing during the rest of your time here?
I’m looking forward to further developing my design skills, while also gaining more exposure to the business/administrative side of landscape architecture that is less visible but incredibly important.
What has been your favorite part about your internship so far?
My favorite part of the internship has been the opportunity to participate in the design of real-world projects, applying the skills I’ve learned in the classroom in a tangible way.
Kirsten Beard
Attends the University of Colorado-Denver and is interning in our Denver office.
What has been your favorite part about your internship so far?
My favorite part of the internship has been getting to know the team! It is such a great group of people, and I have been consistently impressed with their knowledge, talent, and willingness to teach. It is so nice as an intern to feel supported and know that people are happy to walk you through a problem, introduce you to a new process, or just go out of their way to make you feel welcome.
What are you looking forward to accomplishing during the rest of your time here?
I’m really looking forward to seeing continued progress on the projects I’ve been involved in. While they may not be completed by the end of the summer, it’s exciting to have been here long enough to see real momentum on work that I helped start months ago. Watching our ideas evolve into something tangible has been incredibly rewarding!
Maheen Lakhani
Attends University of Georgia and is interning in our Denver office.
What has been your favorite part about your internship so far?
My favorite part of the internship so far has been getting to explore different stages of the design process, from early hand-drawn concepts to final sheet layouts and graphics, which has helped me understand how everything fits together. I’ve also really enjoyed the collaborative, welcoming office culture. What’s better than making a bunch of new creative friends!
What are you looking forward to accomplishing during the rest of your time here?
During the rest of my time here, I’m looking forward to diving deeper into the firm’s approach to visualization and branding, while continuing to learn about the submittal process. I’m also excited to gain more confidence navigating project workflows and contributing to design conversations with the team!
Marissa Crenshaw
Attends the University of Colorado-Boulder and is interning in our Denver office.
What are you looking forward to accomplishing during the rest of your time here?
I’m looking forward to continuing to grow my skills and take on new challenges while making the most of the time I have left with Norris!
What has been your favorite part about your internship so far?
My favorite part of this internship has been learning from the different people around me, hearing their unique experience and seeing how they approach their work has taught me a lot.
Matthew Massingale
Attends Arizona State University and is interning in our Phoenix office.
What are you looking forward to accomplishing during the rest of your time here?
I am looking forward to further developing these relationships and utilizing our strategy to get things done. As well as staying in touch and keeping these relationships strong.
What has been your favorite part about your internship so far?
My favorite part of the internship so far is all of the people I have met and created relationships with. They have been super helpful and made this experience one to remember.
Ryder McClaugherty
Attends Utah State University and is interning in our Denver office.
What has been your favorite part about your internship so far?
I am looking forward to getting even more comfortable with the firm’s graphic standards. They’ve helped speed up my workflow and corrected some of my bad Photoshop habits, like flattening layers too early or using masks the wrong way. I’m finally learning to work cleaner and more efficiently.
What are you looking forward to accomplishing during the rest of your time here?
My favorite part of my internship has been seeing how a design evolves over time. Early on, Adam told me I’d learn the lesson of “it all changed,” and he was right. I’ve realized that the first iteration is rarely the final answer, and learning to adapt as things shift has been really valuable. It’s made me a better designer without even realizing it.