I interned at DLB for two summers, first after freshman year and then through spring semester of sophomore year through the end of the following summer, working on MEP and data center mechanical infrastructure. It was a different discipline than TOR, but the habits I built there (careful markups, patience with detail work, comfort asking questions) carried over right away.

Summer one was mostly Revit. I did a lot of markup work: editing drawings, checking equipment placements, and getting familiar with how mechanical drawings get built and revised in a live project. I also got early exposure to PIPE-FLO, analyzing hydraulic performance for chilled water systems. I helped with submittal review, checking vendor equipment specs against project requirements, and processed room schedules across large data center floor plans. Between TOR and this first summer at DLB, the throughline was still shadowing and checking my work closely before it went anywhere. Yet, my work did not go unoticed, as I was asked to return at the begining of the following year.

The second internship stint was less drafting and more engineering. I took cooling load values generated in HAPv6 models I built under supervision, using them to size ductwork and diffusers, then modeled and laid out VAV systems, working through diffuser geometry and exhaust placement to hit target airflow across occupied spaces. I also worked on fuel delivery and exhaust duct systems for backup generators, designing to failure-mode and redundancy requirements for mission-critical operations. I needed far fewer clarifying questions this time around, and I was trusted with first-pass ownership of tasks before handoff for review, rather than working step by step alongside someone. At the begining of the summer when a new intern cohort arrived, I was also named an Intern Lead, responsible for organizing and mentoring 24 design interns, something I wouldn't have been ready for the summer before.

Net assessment: the first summer at DLB was about learning to read and mark up real project drawings and getting a foothold in hydraulic analysis. The second was about applying that foundation with actual engineering judgment: sizing systems, not just checking them, and leading other interns through the same ramp I had just gone through myself. The accrual of savior faire is clear, but I remain aware of and excited for how much more growth lies ahead of me.