Friday, September 12, 2025
By: Olivia Wilson
For University of Florida College of Design, Construction and Planning (DCP) graduate student Sarah Spayd, design has meant more than constructing and planning; it’s about communicating ideas and building meaningful relationships within the design process. This past summer, she carried that passion into her internship as a professional designer with Cosco & Associates Inc. in Crestview, Florida.
“This internship re-established the idea of mind-to-hand coordination,” Spayd said. “Communicating with others and working ideas into the design process, ultimately showing on pieces of trace, is vital to my thesis development at DCP.”
Spayd earned her bachelor’s degree in design from DCP’s School of Architecture in 2024 and is now pursuing a master’s degree in architecture, scheduled to graduate this spring. Balancing graduate school and a summer internship, Spayd exemplifies hard work.
As a professional designer, she spent her summer assisting in schematic and conceptual designs in Revit, a building information software. She also supported the construction administration by reviewing shop drawings and RFI responses as well as assisting with narratives and draft drawings.
Adjusting to the firm’s fast-paced environment also presented challenges as Spayd learned to balance new responsibilities with tight schedules. She admitted that familiarizing herself with existing projects in a short period of time while ensuring client deliverables can be tough.
“My entire undergraduate career as well as my time in the graduate program at the UF School of Architecture prepared me for the caliber of this firm,” Spayd said. “I was able to keep up with the pace that this firm established.”
Spayd said her time in DCP has not only prepared her for internships but also built a strong sense of community. “DCP is a diverse school that teaches lessons that go beyond the time that a student spends at the college itself,” she said. “You quickly discover how integrated your area of study becomes when looking around the college.”
When it comes to long-term career plans, Spayd has a powerful mission. Her goal is to build churches, orphanages and clinics in the United States, while also helping others design and build similar facilities in other countries. She believes the foundation she has built at UF will equip her to pursue these ambitions and make a lasting impact through architecture.
Q&A with Sarah Spayd
What is your favorite course/professor at DCP and why?
My favorite course has been Cities of the World with Urban and Regional Planning Instructional Assistant Professor Kyle Dost. This course opened my eyes to more than what was in front of me. The world is a large place with many opportunities. Although not all issues will ever be handled correctly, the problem that sits in front of you may be handled efficiently if you take the time to care for it. Every small detail leads up to the bigger picture. My time with Professor Dost taught me to ask myself the following question: “How will I handle that which has been placed into my own hands?”
In the realm of architecture, specifically, several professors have made life-long impacts, including the following: John Maze, Michael Montoya, Nina Hofer, and Amanda Rutherford. Each of these professors not only believes in me as a designer, but they also challenged me to become a better designer – one who is sensitive to what the world actually needs. Once again, I am reminded that I will never be able to solve every issue that this world holds, but I am able to steward the challenges that I have been given for such a time as this.
What has been your favorite memory at DCP and why?
Some of my favorite memories include travel and teaching opportunities. Each semester brought a new challenge in a new location. During my undergraduate studies, I traveled locally to Sweetwater Wetlands Park. I also visited Savannah, Georgia, and New York City. Virtually, I studied the area of Accra, Ghana, in Africa. During my graduate studies, I studied in Jacksonville and Miami. More recently, I had the opportunity to assist undergraduate professors with their integrated building technologies classes. Teaching at UF is such a gift! DCP consists of great mentors looking to improve how information may be communicated and retained.
What is the one thing you know now that you wish you would have known your first day at UF?
I wish I knew the possibility of thriving in design while learning that everyone will have their own ways of designing. Everyone makes an impact on whatever piece they’ve been given. I think it is easy to fall into comparison, but comparison does not always result in improvement. Oftentimes, it restrains people from moving into their own ways of creating. Because of fear or doubt, one never truly finds their spark for creativity. With the idea that everyone contributes differently, learning has the opportunity to grow in the daily activity of discovery.
How important is the DCP network of graduates across the globe?
What I have discovered is that Gators are all around! Even at Cosco & Associates, there were at least three Gator graduates. I believe that the DCP network of graduates across the globe is vital and already in play. These courses equip students to go beyond familiarity to help others around the world.