INTERNSHIPS | The A Team
Lakeside Alliance brings deep bench of emerging talent to the OPC site
If you visited the job site this summer, you might have met one of the five interns from Lakeside Alliance partner companies who spent an exciting summer working on the historic Obama Presidential Center project. These young people were part of an A Team of future engineers, construction managers and architects who were invited to take part in the most impactful assignment they could hope for.
All of the interns agreed that nothing beats seeing what’s happening up close, and by the end of summer, each said they had gained a better understanding of what they want to do and the various roles available in the construction industry.
The cherry on top? They got a chance to meet President Barack Obama during 44’s surprise site visit in July.
In their own words, Maliq Cherry (Powers and Sons); Matthew Montgomery (Brown and Momen); and Turner Construction interns Kristen Moore, Francisco Flores and Dhvanee Bhavsar explain what their summer on the OPC site meant to them.
Where are you from? Where do you attend school? And what are you studying?
Maliq: I’m originally from Merrillville, Indiana. I currently attend Ball State University in Muncie where I major in architectural design, with a double minor in sociology and social environmental justice.
Matthew: I was born in Chicago and will be transferring to the University of Illinois to pursue a bachelor’s in construction management.
Kristen: I’m from Plainfield, Illinois, and entering the second year of my MS program in construction and engineering management at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Francisco: I’m 19 and went to high school at Jones College Prep. In the fall, I’ll be at Harold Washington Community College. I’m studying civil engineering, but being on the OPC site has taught me there’s a lot more to making a building, so that could change.
Dhvanee: I am from India and a graduate student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign studying construction, engineering and management. I have a bachelor’s in construction technology.
How did you decide what you wanted to study?
Maliq: As a kid, I wanted to be an actor for the longest time. But seeing the difference in neighborhoods, my mindset was to be the change that I wanted to see in the community. Becoming an architect will help me make a change.
Matthew: Growing up in Chicago, I would admire the complexity of the skyscrapers and other intricate buildings across the city. I became fascinated by construction, generally, and wondered what the process looked like from start to finish. So, I became interested in construction management.
Kristen: My BA is in biology, but I pivoted and got into a master’s program in construction. I knew I wanted to pursue engineering and was fortunate to have a great mentor in my master’s program who helped show me all that construction had to offer. When I got an internship with Turner, that solidified my path into the industry.
Francisco: I’m a pretty creative person, I like art and dancing, but halfway through high school I found the ACE (architecture, construction and engineering) program and tried it out. Through the program and my mentor, I learned about the fundamentals of engineering and architecture and I found that I really enjoyed the work.
Dhvanee: I had exposure to this field through my family. My dad is a civil engineer and my mom is an architect. I landed in engineering, which I thought I would never do. But I started loving it! Construction combines my creative and technical sides perfectly.
So, what was a typical day like for you?
Maliq: Every day was a mix of different tasks, but I mainly focused on MEP (mechanical, electrical and plumbing) work. Whenever there was something I didn’t fully understand in a drawing, I could go outside and examine it with my own two eyes to see how it was actually being put together. That helped immensely.
Matthew: It’s different each day. I like to spend a majority of my time outside, which is where I tend to learn the most and see the most. On Mondays, we have the engineering huddle meeting where I listen in to get a sense of what’s going on and the schedule. On Tuesdays, we have subcontractors meet with the superintendents. I make sure I attend that one because a lot of information gets discussed. I try to spend as much time as I can shadowing the superintendents to learn from them.
Kristen: I start my day at 7 a.m. and finish around 4. When I get here, I stretch and flex with the workers and the superintendents outside for about 15 minutes. I hear what’s going to happen that day onsite and get some notes from the tradesmen so I can feel more comfortable when I walk the site. The rest of my day entails submittals, RFIs and meetings.
Francisco: I got to do different things each day, but I walk the site about two to three times a week. I’m in charge of something called OpenSpace, a construction AI technology that is kind of like Google maps. I have all the floor plans and a camera on my hard hat that allows me to visually map out the site. So when you go to the computer, you can see 3D visuals of the building and the construction process.
Dhavanee: A significant part of my internship was bridging the gap between Turner Technical Services (TTS), which is based in India, and the Lakeside Alliance team. So, I work onsite as well. Originally, I was going to be remote from Champaign, but it’s nice to have someone onsite who can help coordinate reporting and communication back-and-forth.
What’s been your biggest takeaway from this experience?
Maliq: With my architecture background, I’m used to things being more conceptual. I knew what systems you needed in a building before the internship, but I didn’t know how to route them through or how much space you would need to put the equipment in place. When I design moving forward, I’ll automatically think about making sure I make enough space for the essential equipment needed so the building can run efficiently.
Matthew: That there isn’t one right career path in construction. Some people started off as laborers then went back to school. Some started with school and turned to the labor side. Others never went to school and worked their way up.
Kristen: Time. Construction is always, in a sense, behind, so your time is valuable. Utilizing and optimizing your time but not letting it overwhelm you is key.
Francisco: The No. 1 takeaway was getting to see how everyone interacts. It’s those connections, how people communicate and problem solve that I wouldn’t get anywhere else.
Dhavanee: For me, it’s to plan ahead and foresee any challenges that may arise. If you feel like something will require a lot of time, just get started. If something is in your way and delaying progress, speak up and ask for help.
Has the internship helped you decide what you want to do?
Maliq: Yes and no! I really like architecture and making drawings, but I also loved being in the field and seeing things as they’re being built. By giving me exposure to how a construction project is run, the internship has helped me learn more about what I might want to specialize in.
Matthew: Coming into the internship, I was unsure about different career paths in construction, and this has been very eye-opening. There are a lot of positions I didn’t even know existed. I learned what their day-to-day looks like, how that affects the project and how they intertwined with other positions.
Kristen: I learned that being a superintendent entails being outside and walking around all the time, which is probably not my niche. I most enjoyed seeing the project as a whole entity during the internship. The finance and schedule, not just the engineering. This caught my interest the most.
Francisco: 100 percent! I always thought being an architect would suit me, but after learning about their work and seeing the role they play on the project, I’ve found that I enjoy other scopes of work more. I have more exploring to do, but I learned a lot over the summer.
Dhvanee: Certainly! I learned that I love coordinating things and having a broader look at all of the processes and from the top. It’s important for me to be onsite so I can have that 360-degree view of the project.
What did working on the OPC project mean to you?
Maliq: I was super joyful to be added to the Lakeside Alliance team. I’m determined to have a positive impact on the community through my career, so the OPC project is perfect for me. This is the best internship I’ve ever had.
Matthew: It’s a big deal. Coming into the internship, I didn’t fully understand how much of an impact the project will have on Chicago. There is so much thought going into it, all with the goal of making a positive impact on the landscape of the entire city.
Kristen: Being a part of something that is going to outlast me is so impactful. I’m a Black woman, and this means a lot to my community and the city. Being able to help, even in a small way, is life changing.
Francisco: I feel special. I feel proud. When I began the internship, we were asked to write down our aspirations. I wrote that, throughout my career, I want to see and work alongside people who look like me. I’ve really enjoyed having such a diverse team here at Lakeside. It has been inspiring.
Dhvanee: This is very heartfelt for me. When I was in India, the only U.S. president that I felt I could connect with was Barack Obama. As soon as I saw the project drawings and renderings, I was spellbound. I knew then that if I had the chance to be onsite and intern here that I would make it happen.