“People ask if I’m getting three master’s degrees just to hang them on my wall. That’s far from why. I want to learn everything I can about this industry.”
– Anna Bella, Project Management Intern
Beyond the blueprint
Anna Bella came to The Korte Company this past summer with an architect’s eye and a goal: to see what happens after the drawings leave the desk.
She had already spent time working in architecture firms. For her next internship, she wanted to step inside the construction process and see how architects, project managers and field teams work together to turn those drawings into a building.
Korte’s Design-Build approach gave her that opportunity.
“To be a good architect, I think it’s really important to understand how buildings are put together,” Anna said. “If I know what happens after the drawings leave my desk, I can design better buildings from the beginning.”
The Washington University graduate student is pursuing three master’s degrees: architecture, construction management and urban design. It is an ambitious path, but one with purpose.
Pursuing three master’s degrees may not be the most conventional path toward becoming a licensed architect. Then again, Anna has never needed her path to look like everyone else’s.
A different kind of classroom
Anna first stepped onto the ice when she was around two years old. Her parents enrolled her in “Mommy and Me” ice skating classes, and she quickly wanted skates of her own.
That Christmas, she had one question.
“Didn’t Santa bring me ice skates?”
She received a pair for her birthday and moved from Learn to Skate classes to private coaching and competitions. Anna also ran track, danced and took ballet, but as skating became more demanding, she had to decide where to put her time.
She chose the ice.
“I had invested so much time in skating, and I loved it,” she said.
Some days, Anna and her friends spent more than eight hours at the rink. Eventually, a traditional school schedule no longer fit around practices and competitions, so she switched to online school and completed her work between training sessions.
Anna continued skating competitively for about 15 years before leaving the sport for college. The years on the ice instilled in her the drive to pursue ambitious goals and find her own way to achieve them.
She carried both into architecture.
Pursuing architecture and then some
Anna entered the University of Pittsburgh interested in architecture but still exploring her options. During her freshman year, she took writing, theory, history and architecture courses and researched the field more seriously. Architecture was the subject that kept pulling her in: drawing, hand drafting, physical modeling and developing concepts.
After earning her bachelor’s degree, she left Pennsylvania for Washington University in St. Louis.
She planned to pursue master’s degrees in architecture and urban design. Then a construction management adviser encouraged her to add a third program.
Construction management would take Anna beyond design and deeper into how projects are coordinated and built. Because she could complete architecture and construction management simultaneously, adding it would extend her time in school by only one semester.
“What’s one more semester?” she asked herself.
Anna expects to complete all three master’s degrees in 2028. Together, they allow her to study a building from several perspectives: its design, the community around it and the work required to bring it to life.
For Anna, that’s the point. She’s building an understanding of the industry she hopes to spend her career in.
Seeing it come together
At The Korte Company, the parts Anna had studied separately began to connect.
Her primary assignment was a U.S. Postal Service project in Puerto Rico. When she joined the team, about half of the project’s subcontracted work had been awarded. In a matter of weeks, that figure was nearing 90%.
“Projects move incredibly fast,” Anna said.
In Highland, Anna worked through project documents and followed the project’s progress from the office. A trip to Puerto Rico gave her the chance to see that work firsthand.
She walked the job site with the field team, seeing how decisions made in the office translate into work in the field.
“At Korte, I come in wondering, ‘What am I doing today? Who will I need to contact? What is going to happen?’” she said.
For Anna, seeing the building take shape was only part of the experience. She also watched how experienced teams respond to complex problems in the field.
“There are situations that put pressure on project teams, but I find it exciting to observe how they respond,” she said. “Then I can remember those lessons and be prepared when something similar happens to me.”
Keeping both doors open
One day, Anna hopes to serve as the project architect on at least one building and see her designs through from beginning to end.
She can also picture herself moving into project management someday, drawn to the variety, travel and problem-solving.
“I want to leave both doors open,” she said.
Her summer at The Korte Company didn’t force her to choose. Instead, it gave her a clearer view of how closely the two are connected.
For now, Anna is keeping both doors open and learning everything she can from the people already doing the work.
“I want to learn quite literally everything,” she said. “I want to be a sponge during the rest of my time here.”
