Lunch with the Future

 

 – By Mike Konzen, principal and chair

 

“The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” 

-Eleanor Roosevelt

 

It’s one of my favorite events of the year: my annual lunch with the interns. This year they are Aoran, Hannah, Sarah, Jing, Amy, Peter, Nick, Blake, Marniece, and Casey.

PGAV’s interns are very special to me. Perhaps this is because I used to be one of them, back in the summer of 1985.

But more likely it is because of their youth, talent, and energy. The older I get, the more it feels like I am having lunch with The Future, and that it pretty exciting. It is not everyday that one dines with The Future!

As we all got settled over lunches in a conference room, I asked each intern to talk about themselves: Where were they from? Where did they get their passion for design? How did they come to PGAV? Where did they want to go?

As we talked, for a moment I spun back to The Past. I remembered my intern days, and my formative years as a young architect at PGAV. I remembered how I viewed the firm’s leaders then: The Old Guys. 

And then I realized: in my intern days, those Old Guys were all younger than I am now. Life plays these tricks on you. One day you’re The Future, and the next, The Old Guy!

I would have never predicted then that I would still be with PGAV 32 years later, sitting with this wonderful group of interns. All of my youthful ambitions, impatience, and hope led me to this point, in spite of what I might have imagined for myself back then; and I am thankful, and humbled. I am glad to have reached an age to learn this important life lesson:

You can’t know what the future holds for you, but you can shape it by being willing to dream it and work it along the way.

As the interns spoke, I hung on every word of their answers. After all, when The Future talks, you had best listen up. I found them to be hopeful, ambitious, impatient, and discerning.

I was glad. These are all good traits for The Future.