As summer internships come to an end, the Shiel Sexton interns have been working studiously throughout the past couple of months. After pushing through safety and job training, they were dispersed to various positions in the office and on jobsites to get a hands-on construction experience.

To reflect on their time here, we reached out to a handful of them to explain what they’ve learned and a highlight from the summer.

Isaac Liang, Junior at Purdue University

“I was working on the Bankers Life Fieldhouse of the Future project. This is my second year as an intern with Shiel Sexton. Last summer I worked with Shiel Sexton Concrete on a number of jobsites, from KAR Global Headquarters to the HUB on Campus West Lafayette – State Street and worked extensively on the Whitestown Anson strip mall.”

What Isaac has learned:

  • Management Office Functions – day-to-day tasks, meetings, paperwork
  • Procore and OnScreen software programs

Highlight of the Internship:

  • “I was able to sit in on an all-team meeting for the Bankers Life Fieldhouse of the Future project and experience the team come together to discuss challenges and solutions.”

Jacob Homan, Senior at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)

“I was an intern last year working with Shiel Sexton Concrete on the Bottleworks District project. This year, I continued to work with the Bottleworks project team.”

What Jacob has learned:

  • Punchlist Management
  • Oversight of Subcontractors

Highlight of the Internship:

I have been able to work at Bottleworks throughout the school year. This allowed me to take what I’ve learned in the classroom and apply it in real-life scenarios through my internship. It has been very beneficial to me.”

Naoma Price, Junior at Northern Kentucky University

“This was my first year interning with Shiel Sexton and I was in the estimating department assisting with multiple bids.”

What Naoma has learned:

  • On-screen software
  • Details – all of the pieces that are accounted for are crucial in estimating

Highlight of the Internship:

“I had the BEST supervisors. They were super friendly and helped me with just about anything!”

Luke Reece, Junior at Purdue University

“This was my first internship with Shiel Sexton. I was working on the Purdue Engineering & Polytechnic Gateway project on campus.”

What Luke has learned:

  • RFI’s, Submittals, Schedules, Bid Issues
  • Excavation and Foundation Building

Highlight of the Internship:

“I’ve enjoyed interacting with the Shiel Sexton employees and subcontractors. I feel like I have learned a lot!”

Maddie Walters, Junior at Purdue University

“This was my first internship with Shiel Sexton and I was working with the BIM (Building Information Modeling) department at the main office.”

What Maddie has learned:

  • Revit Software – creating a model of a roof structure renovation
  • Navisworks Software – creating a 3D representation of a schedule

Highlight of the Internship:

“I have loved meeting everyone here. Every person has been so kind and extremely welcoming!”

Lucas Lawyer, Senior at Purdue University

“This was my second internship with Shiel Sexton. I worked with Shiel Sexton Concrete at the Bottleworks District project last summer, and I was on the Bankers Life Fieldhouse of the Future project this summer.”

What Lucas has learned:

  • Scheduling
  • Analyzing Budgets

Highlight of the Internship:

“Working on the Bankers Life Fieldhouse of the Future was a fun project to be on but also challenging. I can tell the team has everything meticulously planned and organized.”

Thomas Golden, Senior at Western Carolina University

“This is my first internship at Shiel Sexton. I was assigned to the estimating department at the Shiel Sexton Charlotte, NC location for my internship. However, I also worked with the operations department.” 

What Thomas has learned:

  • On-screen takeoffs
  • Steps to completing a project – from estimating to the final project

Highlight of the Internship:

“One highlight from my time at Shiel Sexton was seeing the real-world topics I learned in school. When you are sitting in the classroom it’s easy to think “when would I ever use this?” so to be able to actually learn something in the classroom and translate it in my internship while expanding and building upon it was a big highlight of mine.”

Isabel Reinhart, Junior at Purdue University

“This was my first internship with Shiel Sexton. I worked alongside the Human Resources department at the main office this summer.”

What Isabel has learned:

  • Develop training content and create modules
  • Ins and outs of the construction industry – applying what I know to a new industry

Highlight of the Internship:

“A major highlight of this summer was developing and executing the interview training workshop. It was something that I created on my own and piloted for feedback. It’s really cool to see a project follow-through till the end, and it feels good knowing that something I did will have a lasting impact on the company.”

We’re ecstatic about the positive feedback that came in from our interns this summer. We value the time they spent with us and hope to see some old and new faces next year!