This week we are changing it up and shining the spotlight on one of our interns! We sat down with Eyad Aboseif to hear what a day in the life is like interning for JP Cullen as a Site Engineer Intern!
Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where do you go to school, what you are studying, hobbies, etc.
Originally, I was born and raised in Cairo, Egypt in North Africa, and came to the United States after being admitted to the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a research and teaching assistantship scholarship. I am graduating this fall with a Master of Science in Civil Engineering and emphasis in Construction Management. You will find me biking around Madison scenic lake trails, playing, or watching soccer and basketball, kayaking in Mendota Lake, taking a swim in the pool, binge-watching Netflix shows or eating outside in my free time. It all depends on the weather in Madison!
Tell us about what a day in the life as a Site Engineer Intern looks like at JP Cullen.
I am pretty much involved in everything going around me! It can start with helping the superintendent inventorying delivered materials, documenting punch list items or field verifying site activities at the Madison VA Memorial Hospital project in the morning to working with the site engineers on reviewing material submittals, updating work schedules, and chasing subcontractors quotes and bids in the afternoon at the Transplant Enabling Projects at the UW Hospital. Not to forget one of my favorite activities, having lunch with the some of the project team members at noon!
What has been your favorite project that you have worked on so far?
My favorite project has been creating a status dashboard for the healthcare division projects at the company. This required an understanding of the team requirements for the dashboard, what kind of inputs they can provide and the outputs they would like to see from a project management perspective. The dashboard offers trends for the healthcare division and detailed project tracking based on schedule, cost, and communication status. This has been my favorite project because it gave me the chance to work freely on something that JP Cullen will use going forward while expanding my skillset in the process.
Why is this internship so meaningful to you?
This internship has been very meaningful to me, as the project team trusted me and showed confidence in my skillset by assigning tasks that needs communication and understanding from my side as chasing subcontractors for their bids, site walks with their representatives and additional follow-up. This kind of trust coupled with feedback from my mentors has helped me to grow personally. I gained valuable knowledge in the healthcare construction sector, which I have never had the chance to be exposed to. Also, I got the chance to understand the general workflow and responsibilities in a construction project team, getting to know what kind of tasks I would be interested in doing after graduation.
Is there anything else you would like to say about your experience here at JP Cullen so far?
JP Cullen feels more like a family than a workplace. My mentors and co-workers have been inclusive and welcoming, offering mentorship and knowledge from their side more than I have ever expected. The internship at the UW Hospital and VA Memorial Hospital helped in teaching me valuable information, especially on the job field, which I will carry forward in my future career. I would recommend anyone to join JP Cullen whether as an intern or a full-time employee based on my experience with them this summer.
What are your goals for after graduation?
I am currently writing my thesis now, so I would like to publish a couple of research papers out of it in Civil Engineering journals or conferences after graduation. Additionally, I will kick-off my job searching this fall, and the work I have done in my internship with JP Cullen definitely helped me understand what kind of roles I will be looking for. Working as a site engineer for a construction contractor like JP Cullen will be a goal of mine, or trying to fulfill my interest in working in business analytics roles whether with construction or consulting companies given my thesis topic and research work with the Construction Industry Institute (CII).
We are so proud to have had Eyad as part of our JP Cullen team this summer! If you are interested in joining our team, check out our Careers Page!
