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Summer – any student’s favorite word. Growing up, I know we all counted down the days until the last day of school, whether by taking popsicle sticks out of a cup one by one in kindergarten or by crossing out our last final exam from an overcrowded, scrappily-highlighted calendar during college. The difference between grade school summers and college summers, however, is that, during our greater childhood years, summer encapsulated a time when our responsibilities flew out the window and migrated elsewhere for a couple of months. Meanwhile, during college summers, many students choose to take on a rather large responsibility: an internship.

I spent this past summer as a Construction Engineer Intern at Gilbane Building Company in their downtown Los Angeles office. As a newcomer to the construction industry, I was met with acronyms and processes that may as well have been hieroglyphics, considering I was unfamiliar with most, if not all, of these snippets of construction jargon. Throughout my internship, I learned what a GMP, or guaranteed maximum price, is, what an RFI, or request for information, is, and what the preconstruction process encompasses from the lens of a GC, or general contractor, just to name a few of the principal construction concepts I picked up while at Gilbane.

To build on my experience as an intern in the construction world (see what I did there? Viterbi students are funny, too, I promise), I want to touch on the importance of profiting from the professional development that complements the technical applications brought to life by an internship. Being my first internship and thus marking my first professional experience, I was introduced to the working life, which was a significant shift from what ordinary summers were to me. Although I did conduct research throughout the summer in Professor Daniel McCurry’s water lab following my freshman year, my time at Gilbane was starkly different as I was introduced to a level of professionalism I had never channeled before. Beginning with what many students may consider insignificant details like punctuality and attire, I quickly learned that sleep deserved to be higher up on my hobbies list and that my wardrobe would have to begin following a strict rotation. Making a positive initial impression is a crucial first step, whether you’re delivering your 90-second elevator pitch to recruiters at the career fair or it’s your first day at the office.

I recall my first day in the office vividly. I walked into the conference room and introduced myself to both of my managers, one of whom recruited me and the other who conducted my interview. I traversed the red-accented office from cubicle to cubicle, introducing myself to each coworker of mine with the intention of cultivating what would become my professional community for the summer. After some onboarding and orientations, I was tasked with my first assignment, which seemed tedious at first but made more and more sense as my internship progressed. I learned the importance of document control, which includes managing not only version histories of particular deliverables but also the level of thoroughness such tasks are executed with to ensure that the most accurate information is relayed between Gilbane and external parties.

Another major facet of my professional character that I developed at Gilbane was my communication skills. As cliché as it may sound, communication truly is key. I learned that communication can mean several different things within the workplace. Beginning with the most common definition of communication, coordinating with my coworkers and manager was undoubtedly the most important. Throughout the day, my team and I would all meet together in the office’s conference room and detail action items for the day, schedule the week ahead, and go over critical upcoming project deadlines while outlining expectations for the week. Sometimes this was as simple as, “Make sure this exercise is complete by this day,” and other times it was as intricate and collaborative as, “Tell me your biggest concern right now and what can I do to help.” Another crucial form of communication I learned to pay close attention to was my email, both ones that were directly sent to me as well as ones that I was copied on. I would frequently check my email for new tasks, project updates, and meeting invitations, which was something I was not used to doing before my internship. The only emails I looked out for during school were ones advertising free boba or final grade updates from professors toward the end of the semester. One similarity I found between both of these forms of communication, however, was that clarity with brevity was necessary. Working on a project that was on a strict schedule, there was not a second to be wasted, and the group huddles I was invited to by my manager were times for me to report accurately, yet concisely, about my progress and to share any concerns or questions I may have had.

As my internship progressed, I began to think more and more about my professional career following my time at USC, which was daunting at first because I realized that summers will never be the same going forward. The summer days will still bring their gentle breeze and overbearing heat, but the air conditioning from the office will comprise a majority of the weather I experience. However uneasy a thought this was, I reminded myself that as long as I pursued something I enjoyed, that summers can still be as exciting as they once were. It’s just part of growing up, I suppose. In the meantime, make sure to continue enjoying those free summer days. But don’t worry, finding the right internship for you will continue to provide those same summer days we all long for, just as I found at Gilbane.

Kevin Kumar

MAJOR: Civil Engineering YEAR: Class of 2026 HOMETOWN: Van Nuys, California PRONOUNS: he/him/his I am currently involved in the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) as a builder and designer for Concrete Canoe, Steel Bridge, and Timber Strong, all of which are design teams where I collaborate with my peers to construct projects. Additionally, I am part of the Earthquake Engineering Research Institute (EERI-SEAOSC), another design team where we construct a building out of balsa wood. Another involvement of mine is the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) where I connect with Hispanic engineers through social events and learn about professionalism in the engineering industry. Finally, I have participated in research through the Center for Undergraduate Research in Viterbi Engineering (CURVE) studying wastewater treatment and am currently conducting research in the Petersen Lab focused on computer-modeling clay and geomaterial aggregation at macroscopic levels.