Spotlight on our 2018 Summer Student Interns

Tell us a little bit about yourself...
I am a rising senior at Virginia Military Institute majoring in computer and electrical engineering. In my free time, I enjoy going to the gym and watching football. Go Packers! I grew up in Chesapeake and went to Grassfield High School.

What have you been working on this summer at Clark Nexsen? What have you learned?
During my time at Clark Nexsen, I have been exposed to various aspects of how a project develops. I have learned how to perform lighting calculations and have become familiar with AutoCAD and Revit. I have learned that there are many steps in order to complete a project and have it done correctly, from back checking your work to figuring out a solution that works for all disciplines when a problem arises.

What interests you besides engineering?
Some other things that interest me are investing and as mentioned before lifting weights in my spare time.

Tell us a little bit about yourself...
I’m from outside of Charlotte, North Carolina and I’m a rising senior at University of Alabama (Roll Tide). I’ve always had a subconscious interest in interiors. When I was little, I would use free samples of finishes from Home Depot and Lowe’s to renovate parts of my dollhouse. However, I didn’t realize I wanted to pursue a career in interiors until college. At school, I’m a student member of the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID).

What have you been working on this summer at Clark Nexsen? What have you learned?
I’ve gotten to work on a variety of projects this summer including a new corporate headquarters for Ferguson Enterprises, a TSA Training Academy, and a medical building renovation. One of the best things about interning at a multi-discipline firm like Clark Nexsen has been working with and learning from other disciplines, as well as my own. In the projects I have worked on, I’ve gotten to utilize and hone my skills in AutoCAD, Revit, Photoshop, and SketchUp.

What interests you besides interior design?
I love to learn and I love film, so I watch a lot of documentaries. You can find me thrifting or antiquing pretty frequently, too. I’m also interested in cooking, traveling, and owning a cat in the future.

Tell us a little bit about yourself...
My path to industrial mechanical engineering was influenced by my father who worked as a project manager for Georgia Power. Internships have given me experience in the A/E/C industry while earning my bachelor in industrial engineering from Mercer University. I graduated this spring and just returned from a mission trip to South Korea teaching English and robotics to refugees from North Korea.

What have you been working on this summer at Clark Nexsen? What have you learned?
I have designed piping and equipment models in AutoCAD, Plant 3D, and Revit that have involved rerouting an oven drainage system and redesigning a belt conveyor.

I have been able to work alongside industrial mechanical team members performing Front End Engineering Design (FEED), cost estimating, and detailed engineering for procurement and field construction. I have also learned about the processes taken to see a project through from conception to commissioning in a multi-disciplined environment.

What interests you besides engineering?
I enjoy lacrosse and have a passion for animal welfare. I hope to backpack through Italy someday.

Tell us a little bit about yourself...
I am a civil engineering student entering my senior year at NC A&T State University this fall. Growing up in Durham, my interest in civil engineering was originally sparked by a love of roller coasters. I currently serve as president of the American Society of Civil Engineers Student Group in Greensboro, NC.

What have you been working on this summer at Clark Nexsen? What have you learned?
The variety of projects I have been exposed to has been eye-opening. I have designed a surface parking lot and a buffered bike lane for an urban streetscape project in Raleigh, NC and performed cost estimating on a drainage improvement project in Suffolk, VA. I have also done proposal research to see what challenges a project might include and created preliminary design concepts.

My experience with group projects has been in person in school, but this summer I am working with team members across several Clark Nexsen office locations. Skype has been a valuable tool to communicate and I have seen how a large company shares files on a private cloud.

Working in a multi-discipline office with both architects and engineers has been a great experience. I have seen how civil engineering interfaces with other disciplines like architecture, electrical engineering, and even interiors.

What interests you besides engineering?
I enjoy live music and adventures to experience new things like ziplining in the mountains and exploring new cities.

Tell us a little bit about yourself...
While I have lived most of my life in a quiet town just outside of Charlotte, I am originally from Chicago and am still a city girl at heart. I’ve been drawing since I was old enough to hold a crayon, and I’ve had my heart set on being an architect since middle school. I am thrilled to be at Clark Nexsen during my third year of undergrad at UNC Charlotte through the Integrated Path to Architectural Licensure (IPAL) program, in pursuit of licensure while I am working on obtaining my accredited degree. I am the Vice President of the American Institute of Architecture Students (AIAS) UNC Charlotte chapter and I love being actively involved on both the local and national levels. I am highly passionate and dedicated to achieving my goals and just having fun in life.

What have you been working on this summer at Clark Nexsen? What have you learned?
I have had the pleasure of working on a variety of projects this summer. I have learned so much about the architecture and building construction industry. I have visited construction sites, attended meetings, learned new software and design techniques, edited BIM models and construction documents, designed facades, and run sustainability analyses. I have mainly been working on a project for NC A&T University; being part of that team has allowed me to get a deep look into what creating a building actually entails.

I have had the chance to learn about the field of architecture in ways that I never could have imagined in school. Having the chance to learn and get advice from so many amazing individuals in the Charlotte office has been truly mind bending. I have learned more in these few months than could easily be expressed in a paragraph of reasonable length.

What interests you besides architecture?
I love to be creative in almost any form, drawing, painting, singing, video editing, etc. I am very passionate about civil and animal rights because love is always stronger than hate. I love to explore and wander both the natural and man-made world. Not all those who wander are lost, but I have a terrible sense of direction so if you see me I probably am -- but I’m stilling having fun.