#summerscholar

Harborfest!

Today started out with Kelsey and I going to the Sketch Walk. If you don’t know what a Sketch Walk is, basically it is an event where anyone can meet up and sketch while walking around the city of Norfolk. At the end of the Sketch Walk, everyone meets at a local restaurant/bar to share and show their drawings from the day. 

Well, today’s sketch walk happened to coincide with Harborfest, so Kelsey and I decided to go there to get some sketching inspiration. There were multiple ships you could walk through, live music acts, performers, and tonnes of food vendors! It was fun to be at the waterfront and it seems as though Norfolk has a lot of festivals happening throughout weekends in the summer! I know Kelsey is especially looking forward to the Bayou Boogaloo Cajun Festival!

Over the past few weeks, we have been partaking in pub trivia (sometimes at Tap House but most recently at Smartmouth Brewery) almost weekly. It’s hosted by Pete, an architect friend of several people at Hanbury Evans and practically all of Norfolk. Usually a handful of people from work go with us but Sam, who also works at the firm, is our official team “space nerd” and basically carries the team every week! :P 

If you ever find yourself with nothing to do over the weekend, then I highly recommend a post-Handsome Biscuit trip to the beach. Trust me, after devouring a delicious Hella Fitzgerald (fried chicken on a biscuit… seriously) the last thing you want to do is move for a few hours. A convenient 20 minute drive away from Norfolk, Virginia Beach is perfect for a sunny day of weather.

Depending on what we wanted to do, the beach had plenty of options. It ranges from livelier concert venues with plenty of restaurants and touristy activities, to the calmer residential areas up on the North end. Over the course of our 10 week program, the Scholars hit the beach at every weekend opportunity we could. It’s a great way to spend a sunny day, and would highly recommend to any future Scholars!

-Kelsey

One of the biggest disadvantages of just completing my third year of undergrad is not having any background knowledge in Revit. Fortunately for the Summer Scholars program, regardless of your previous (or lack of, in my case) experience, there will be mandatory training sessions. Woohoo!

I have to admit, the idea of a few full days of software training in your first week may sound intimidating. As someone who could pretty much only draw a line in Revit, I was skeptical of how much I could really learn being stuck in a single room all day. However as soon as the Revit master, Mike, walked in and introduced himself, it was clear to the summer scholars that he was the guy to get us through the next couple days. The tutorial session itself was engaging and kept at steady pace. Fellow scholars who were more knowledgeable guided me through some of the tasks, which indicated how well we would work together throughout the summer. And whenever any one of us got stuck, Mike was there every step of the way.

So, future Summer Scholars, if you have no idea how to use Revit, have no fear! Or even if you think you are an expert in the software, I guarantee you will learn a few more extra skills. It’s also a great opportunity to talk to Mike, he is definitely one of the coolest people you will ever meet.

Went exploring around Norfolk today!