a recap of intern week 2025
Every year TBG looks forward to bringing together future landscape architects from across our offices for a fast-paced, design-fueled deep dive into our process, culture, and people.
Hosted in Houston, this year’s experience revolved around the Circle Oak Mixed-Use Project offering interns the chance to collaborate on a real-world project alongside the design team, including Gensler and developer PCD.
Let’s meet the Intern Class of 2025!
Austin
Sydney Taylor – Texas A&M University
Allena Gallagher – California Polytechnic State University
Dallas
Dean Zakrzewski – University of Arkansas
Avery Schill – Kansas State University
Houston
Isabel Ortiz – Texas A&M University
Jenny Seo – Virginia Tech University
Beatriz Watanabe – Texas A&M University
San Antonio
Yasaman Khanhakimi – Penn State University
Urban Design + Planning
Panisa Thanpaisarnsamut – University of Texas at Arlington
The week was packed full! Here is what their schedule looked like.
Day One: Hitting the Ground Running
Interns arrived in Houston and dove straight into action, beginning with a project kickoff session. That afternoon, they hit the road on a benchmarking and site tour that began at the Circle Oak site, where they participated in a “Landing, Grounding, and Founding” lecture. From there, the group traveled to Downtown Rosenberg to study character and placemaking strategies, followed by a visit to City Centre to benchmark successful mixed-use developments. The day concluded with shared insights and great conversation over a team dinner.
Day Two: Frameworks, Functional Use Diagrams, and Planning
With coffee and breakfast in hand, the interns launched into a full day of design. The morning kicked off with a “How to FUD” lecture, which was followed by a hands-on working session focused on designing the street network for Circle Oak. During lunch, a lecture on “Mixed-Use Planning and Master Planning” deepened their understanding of planning principles. The afternoon was spent refining master plan layouts in a collaborative working session. Energized and inspired, teams gathered again over dinner for an extended working session, using the time to prepare for the next day’s focus on narrative development.
Day Three: From Concept to Story
The third day shifted focus to storytelling and placemaking. Interns began with a lecture on “Storytelling and Planning to Place,” which explored how strong narratives and cohesive identities create memorable destinations. After lunch, they attended the “How to Wrap it All Together” lecture, followed by a storyboarding session where they synthesized their work into compelling presentations.
Day Four: Final Presentations & Celebration
The final morning was dedicated to polishing their designs and preparing for presentations. Interns then delivered their final work to an audience of TBG mentors, Gensler, and PCD representatives, sharing not only their design outcomes but also the thought processes and reflections behind them. The week wrapped up with a celebratory lunch and sendoff with the Houston team.
A huge thank you goes out to the facilitators, mentors, guest speakers, and the entire Houston office for making Intern Week 2025 such a meaningful experience. Your time, guidance, and enthusiasm helped set the tone for a successful summer across all our studios. Welcome to the team, interns. We’re so glad you’re here!