As the summer sunsets, our talented interns are returning to their campuses. Before their departure, we delved into their experiences and asked them, along with their mentors, to share the invaluable takeaways from their journey with us.
Kaci Johnson / Janet Dusek
What is the greatest lesson you learned in your internship?
Throughout my internship, I have learned too many things to count but the most valuable lessons I have learned so far are:
(1) Always carry a notebook with you everywhere you go.
(2) To be quiet and listen! but ask questions when needed.
(3) Lastly, always double-check everything, even if it feels unnecessary.
What was a time that you felt proud during your internship?
The time I felt most proud during my internship was getting commended on my meeting minutes and markups from the project owners.
Take us through your average day – what did you do?
I usually started my day by completing any paperwork I didn’t finish the day before and responding to emails. For the majority of the day, I was assisting the PE with their duties, drafting up logs, or doing investigative work. I walked the project a couple of times throughout the day and helped the superintendent with anything they needed.
Janet, what did you learn from your intern?
I learned that if you give an intern a task with bumpers (think bowling) and don’t outline every part of the task they will impress you with their ingenuity and motivation.
Gavin Tebbe / Bernie Gonzalez
What is the greatest lesson you learned in your internship?
I have learned a lot during this internship but the greatest lesson I have learned is how to effectively communicate with subcontractors and some basics of prolog.
What was a time that you felt proud during your internship?
My proudest moment during my summer internship would be getting subcontractors to come out to the job site to finish out work needed on the punch list as well as prescribe transmittals to ownership.
Take us through your average day – what did you do?
My average day throughout the summer would start by arriving at work around 6:30 a.m. to set up my devices, review emails, and collaborate with one of my mentors, John Luis, on a game plan for the day. From 7 a.m. to 12 p.m., I would respond to emails as well as get in contact with subcontractors to figure out items on the punch list that we could resolve for the week. After lunch till the rest of the day 3:30 p.m., I was reading and responding to emails that were sent out during the morning, walking the site and documenting the items that subcontractors have worked on, and filing documents/creating transmittals to turn attic stock over to ownership.
Anything else you want to share?
I think I was been put into a unique situation that has allowed me to learn both sides of the job site positions (Superintendent and Project Manager). I was transferred from the UIW Founders Hall to the Jefferson Bank project to collect attic stock as well as complete transmittals over to ownership. I have learned how to navigate Prolog as well as efficiently communicate with subcontractors to get work done on the job site.
Bernie, what did you learn from your intern?
I learned about learning and dedication. Enthusiasm and openness to learning new skills. The benefits of taking on feedback. Eagerness to learn.
Joseph Gonzalez / Armando Trevino
What is the greatest lesson you learned in your internship?
80% of the outcomes result from 20% of the inputs.
Remodels are an inherently difficult task, but so many of the problems that could have existed were handled early on in the preconstruction phase. However, a small number of errors and hiccups have impacted our schedule. For example, we rely heavily on the Owner’s F&E Manager for all of the required fixtures on the job. If it is difficult to reach the manager, it will heavily impact the schedule.
Take us through your average day – what did you do?
For the first month, I worked remotely, so I would have class from 8 to 12 and then work from 12 to 5 on preconstruction and material procurement. Most of this time was spent on the phone with subcontractors and planning with the project team.
Once we mobilized, most of my time was been spent procuring owner fixtures and making sure we had the OFCI items we needed.
Anything else you want to share?
My mentor was able to visit the site a few times per week and has been such a joy to work with. Mando is from San Antonio so he reminds me of home and I feel we connect on that level. He has an incredible amount of experience in construction and I have learned so much from him in the short time that I’ve known him. I hope to work with him again someday.
Armando, what can you tell us about your intern?
Joseph Gonzalez is respectful to his coworkers and Owner representatives, is outgoing, and gets along with everyone he has met on-site. Awesome work ethic, being on the retail side is a plus, since most of the time we have limited personnel. I believe he has completed the tasks he has been assigned. I believe he will become an outstanding PM.
Ryan Guerra / Drew Godwin / Justin Lutrell
What is the greatest lesson you learned in your internship?
Make connections and strong relationships with subcontractors because although you may not award them a job you will still be contacting them for the next job trying to get a bid from them and it is a constant cycle.
What was a time that you felt proud during your internship?
Completing a bid and finally turning it into the owner, or when being able to catch something on the plans that my mentors did not notice/bringing up something they overlooked.
Take us through your average day – what did you do?
Show up to the office at 8. Continue or start working on OST (takeoff) for whatever it was I was working on at the time. Usually, I’d be in and out of contact with subcontractors through phone calls or email throughout the day. Most days we’d meet as a group or even with ops teams to go over scope sheets or the plans of what we would be working on a the time.
Justin, what did you learn from your intern?
One thing I learned, or was reminded of, is that people are usually capable of so much more than we think. It is easy not to take the time to teach someone or give them a task because you think they will not be capable or understand. However, oftentimes, when given the right tools and little direction, people come through. Ryan always did a great job of figuring things out and asking questions when stuck.
Drew, what did you learn from your intern?
I’ve learned that now I’m officially one of the old guys as Ryan recently reminded me (lol). But seriously, I’ve learned that the interns are usually capable of much more than we think they are. Ryan was able to take on the tasks and responsibilities of a junior estimator with not a whole lot of direction and figure things out.
Madeline Freedman / John Thomas
What is the greatest lesson you learned in your internship?
The greatest lesson I learned during my internship was to say yes to every opportunity to learn. At the job site, I was presented with many opportunities to learn new things even outside of my set scope of work. At first, I was hesitant to tackle things that were outside of my set tasks because of my lack of prior knowledge. I quickly learned that this whole internship was created so that people like me could gain experience in all areas of the industry. I started to ask anyone and everyone if I could walk with them on-site and saw that I learned something new every time. I realized that every day was a chance to further my knowledge and become better as a future Project Engineer. Everyone at Joeris was so eager to help and teach me more about construction, and for that, I am eternally grateful.
What was a time that you felt proud during your internship?
One moment I felt proud during my internship was when I had to opportunity to provide a tour of the hospital to incoming nurses. They were beyond excited to have a new space where they could provide care to more women and children. Seeing the staff experience the nurse stations and patient rooms for the first time allowed me to picture what the hospital would look like fully occupied shortly. Even though I was only able to contribute to the job for a summer, watching this moment reinforced the fact that I was able to make a difference in our community by being a part of a company like Joeris.
Take us through your average day – what did you do?
On a typical day at work, I would arrive promptly at 7 a.m. to get an early start on my emails and prepare for the day. At 9 a.m. I would sit in on the morning huddle to take notes on what each trade partner was doing that day as well as any job site announcements. After the meeting I would go on site walks with a member of our project team to go look at new progress on the job site. After a site walk, my fellow interns and I would eat lunch at our desks and catch up on our day thus far. Following lunch, I would typically return to the site to work on the punch with my colleagues and listen to stories about their previous projects and what they have accomplished by being a part of Joeris.
What is your favorite memory from this summer?
My favorite memory this summer was getting to play volleyball with my project team in a rec league at Sideliners on Thursdays. This allowed me to get to know my colleagues outside of work and form better relationships with the people I worked alongside each day. Additionally, the team bonding provided me with an opportunity to decompress and relax after a long work week. I am so grateful for moments like these where we could come together as a team even outside of the job site.
John, what did you learn from your intern?
Madeline reminded me that I don’t know everything and that it is important to ask questions when you don’t know something. Instead of acting like she knew everything, she admitted that she didn’t and asked for help. This was nice to see as she was willing to learn every aspect of the trades, she was involved in.
Cameron Devore / Wade Mayfield
What is the greatest lesson you learned in your internship?
Working as a team makes for a better and more successful outcome.
What was a time that you felt proud during your internship?
The more I see the processes of how something works the more confident I feel I could do it on my own.
Take us through your average day – what did you do?
Scheduling trade partners, coordinating with my team on what needs to be done on what day, getting inspections done, and working with trades on the work performed.
Wade, what did you learn from your intern?
Cameron is very sharp and eager to learn. He was attentive to his duties and worked diligently. I learned patience from Cameron and this experience reminded me of my teaching days. The most rewarding part of being a mentor was teaching Cameron new things. I am very proud of what Cameron has accomplished this summer.
Jimmy Hernandez / Tanner Hickey
What is the greatest lesson you learned in your internship?
Always plan and keep in touch with all subs even if they are not on the job site. If you don’t know just ask, I learned a lot just by asking about things I didn’t know or caught my eye.
What was a time that you felt proud during your internship?
Taking responsibility for subcontractors and scheduling.
Take us through your average day – what did you do?
In the morning I would check emails, then meet with subs to know their plan or if they need anything. Do any self-performed work if needed. Study plans, submittals, and specs. Walk the job, do layout, or check specs. Make any calls or emails if required. Discuss with the superintendent what plans we have and what’s the next step.
Tanner, what did you learn from your intern?
Having Jimmy as an intern this summer was a great experience that I truly enjoyed. It was very rewarding watching him grow and develop and take on more responsibilities as the summer progressed. Having him under me helped develop my leadership and delegating skills as the construction process is a true team effort.