Elisa Lopez ’19
Name?
Elisa Lopez
Hometown?
Tampa, Florida
Degree/major?
Construction Management
Graduation Date?
December 2019
What career expos did you participate in (years/terms)?
Fall 2017
Fall 2018
Fall 2019
How did our career expos help you in your career?
The career expos gave me the opportunity to connect with employers. I received 2 internships and a full-time job from the career expo. The internships allowed me to apply what I learned in the classroom and put a face to it. The value is indescribable.
Also, it helped me learn how to market myself.
What internships did you gain from our career expos?
Aimco – Flamingo Point Apartments – Owners Representative Project Engineer
Balfour Beatty – Riverlanding Miami – Project Engineer Intern for MEP
What was the coolest part about the internships that you did?
It was cool getting to see such large projects come together. The projects I was on were hundreds of millions of dollars. I had never known all it took to complete a project or what it entailed but seeing it firsthand was something you can’t teach in class, especially the magnitude in which it took place. I got to see things I have never seen or heard before – and the best part is always meeting new people.
What advice do you have for those beginning the internship/job search process?
Start as early as you can! Get experience in talking to the recruiters. Get familiar with the companies, what they do, and just discover what it is you want to get into – such as working with a subcontractor, general contractor, suppliers or even the role such as a superintendent, project management, estimating, BIM, etc. This is your opportunity to discover what it is you want to get into.
What advice do you have for those participating in the career expo?
Do your research on the companies, be honest with your experience and what you know, and just be yourself. First impressions are also very important. Many times, the same recruiters come back, they remember faces and will ask you what you have done since you last spoke. Always seek new ways in getting better. Get to know your classmates too. Often, they are interning/working at companies and can give a good word for you. You’d be surprised how many of your classmates are in the booth with your future employer.
Any key takeaways from participating in our career expos? Favorite part/surprising part?
My favorite story will always be from the career expo I participated in in 2018.The ladies at the NAWIC table helped me with a list of words given to me from Balfour-Beatty. I had no idea what any of them were, and I was struggling to find the answers. They helped break things down in a manner that I could understand and remember. I went back to the booth and just told him what I learned. A week later I received an offer letter for an internship. It taught me an important lesson of being honest with what I know (I told Balfour-Beatty I had no clue what they were talking about) but also it taught me to seek help and be resourceful!
How did the internships that you acquired with the help from our career expos connect back to your coursework? And how did they prepare you for your current position?
You learn terminology; you get familiar with programs like P6 and how to estimate scopes of work. It especially helped with getting a GC license since a lot of the information is similar.
How has the transition been from school to internships to work?
The transition, to me, was seamless. I went from internship to internship to a full-time job. With working full-time and going to class, it helped me get used to daily tasks and taught me how to manage my time and work hard to get items completed in a timely manner.
What is your favorite memory of your time in the Moss Department of Construction Management?
Getting close to my classmates. We were really a family. We survived in the trenches together! We spent a lot of nights studying, playing card games and connecting a Nintendo Switch to play Super Smash all night. We had a lot of fun. I wouldn’t be who I am or where I am without them.
Do you have a favorite Construction Management professor, mentor or class that really impacted your life and prepared you in your career?
Morad, Liberman, and Ramsay were a few of my favorite professors. Senior project prepped me the most. Scheduling II is very helpful in my career now. Liberman taught me how to study for my GC, plus I cannot forget to mention how hilarious he is. Ramsay really cared about us, so how can I not enjoy a class like his! Honorable mention to Construction Law, as hard as that was.
The Fall 2021 Career Expo, hosted by the Moss Department of Construction Management, is to be held in-person October 18th from 5-7PM at the FIU MMC GC Ballrooms. It is open to FIU Construction Management, Civil and Mechanical students, and alumni. The expo is expected to host over 40 companies and over 200 students.
Among the attending companies are Advanced Stucco, ANF Group, Inc., Baker Concrete, Balfour Beatty, Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC., Brickell Group Construction, Camcon Group, Coble Builders, DPR, Edge Construction, Falcon Construction, Florida Lemark Corporation, Grace & Naeem Uddin, Inc., Housing Trust Group (HTG), Juneau Construction Company, Kast Construction, KVC Constructors, Lennar, Link Construction Group, Lunacon Construction Group, Corp., Mill Creek Residential, Miller Electric Company, Moss & Associates, PCL Construction Services, Robins & Morton, Skanska USA Building, Inc., Southeast Mechanical Contractors, Trimble, Turner Construction, Vercetti Enterprises, LLC, Verdex Construction and Waypoint Contracting Inc.