2025 Spring Interns Spotlight

As students settle into the fall term across Oregon, we want to spotlight two talented students from the University of Oregon that participated in our office last spring: Wyne Malaqui and Donovan Carlson. As part of the UO’s ten-week practicum program, they both received direct work experience, mentorship, and exposure to different aspects of the profession while at Rowell Brokaw.

In addition to sitting in on stakeholder, consultant, and OAC meetings for a variety of projects, Wyne and Donovan visited projects under construction. The latter included the LCC Building 16 renovation and Bethel School District’s Danebo Elementary School gym and classroom expansion. With John Rowell, Lorri Nelson, Frank Visconti, and Paul Harman, they participated in early design meetings and produced preliminary drawings for a new project. As part of this exploration, Wyne and Donovan built a site model and learned how to produce a 3D-printed model of one of the design ideas.

Here are some of the highlights from their practicum:

Wyne: “My biggest takeaway is the importance of understanding a firm’s culture and design process. I realized that it takes patience and collaboration to move a project in the right direction, from Zoom calls to in-person discussions.

Unlike school, where design can feel more open-ended, working in a firm requires balancing creativity with realistic expectations and abiding by certain processes to achieve a successful outcome.”

Donovan: “Aside from my surprise about the importance of ongoing communication and coordination with every project, I also didn’t expect that the architects at RB are very conscious of the value of their time and work. I spoke with Austin partway through the practicum about doing some of our work from home, and his answer to me was surprising. I learned that although the work that they do is plentiful and sometimes stressful, you also must learn to be efficient and value separation of work and home life.”

Born and raised in Honolulu, Wyne is headed into his last year of interior architecture at the University of Oregon. Having grown up in Eugene in the Bethel School District, Donovan graduated this last June and is in the process of finding an entry-level position at a firm in the Pacific Northwest or beyond. We’re excited for what the future holds for these bright, fledgling architects!