The one thing I would change about architectural internship is simply how individuals interpret its meaning. Seasoned professionals as well as interns themselves have a disconnected vision of what internship is truly meant to be. On both ends of the equation we act as though Intern were a bad word. Much like "he who should not be named" in the Harry Potter series, the fear that is linked with the word is only felt because of the association we have built up as a profession.

• Internship is not a hazing period. This is not a fraternity. It is a profession and we should treat all members of the profession, licensed or not, as professionals.
• Internship should not be a way to segregate the classes. We all bring knowledge to the table that is vital to the success of not only day-to-day projects, but also our profession.
• Internship is not a stack of paperwork. It is an interactive process from which individuals on both sides of registration should grow and learn.

Sadly, internship has become so much less in peoples' minds than it could be in real application. My internship has been about me:about how I could make it through the first few years of my career; about finding my own tools, my own voice and my own knowledge. No one ever took an interest in my licensure until it became apparent that I should have already accomplished that goal. No one ever spoke to me about IDP in my first few years of practice. No one every explained the process of becoming a professional. That was left for me to discover. Some might say I should have been more diligent, more resourceful, more whatever…. I say to them, then why do so many of our young graduates still fall through that same crack? Is that not what an internship process is for, to learn about your profession from professionals? Our seasoned veterans pride themselves on being superior because of experience and licensure. They go to great lengths to protect their titles and their relevancy. Yet so many of them are completely oblivious to the most important aspect of sustaining this profession - sharing. Along the way a few elder colleagues have shared their knowledge with me in a way that was meaningful and not only purposeful. More often than not is was my contemporaries who understood the power of sharing information. They seemed unafraid that communicating their knowledge would not involve a loss of power. I am not after anyone's power. I like to think that like Harry Potter, I have my own. What I do need is to understand this vastly complicated profession and all it has to offer my clients, my future world and me. I am not afraid of the word Intern, I am saddened for the lost experience.