Teamwork: Managing a project is hardly ever done alone, assembling and working with a team of knowledgeable and experienced people can help ease the burden of managing the many on-site and off-site tasks as well as the subcontractors.

Flexibility: There are so many variables that go into managing a construction project successfully. Being flexible in finding an alternate solution to a problem or to accomplishing a task is very essential and often rewarding.

This internship experience is strongly tied to my grand challenge because the project entailed the renovation and reconstruction of a Catholic church/school that was built a long time ago.

This experience enlightened me on how nuanced the construction business is. It was a big surprise to me when I learned that I had to start work as early as 6 am. During this internship, every day presented a new set of challenges that needed to be solved quickly. Some were passed on to the design engineers and architects on the job, and some had to be solved right there on the spot. I learned the importance of the KISS principle while working as an intern and will be keeping in my utility belt as I progress in my career.