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Internship Solidifies Student's Commitment to Home Building
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Alex Beckman, of Colorado State University | Alex Beckman, a senior at Colorado State University in Fort Collins, Colo., and one of two students who participated in an eight-week summer internship program at NAHB in Washington, D.C., said that he learned enough about residential construction during the program to enhance his career and help him take a better first step into the industry.
“I know things have slowed down, but my time in the Washington, D.C. area confirmed my feelings that just because times are tough, it doesn’t mean that there aren’t any career opportunities left in residential construction,” Beckman said. “I have been looking forward to a career in the home building industry and know that I will be able to start one right out of college.”
Beckman, along with Marlone Walters, a senior at Prairie View A&M University in Prairie View, Texas, participated in the second year of the NAHB Residential Construction Leadership/Internship Program funded by the National Housing Endowment. The internship program is available to students attending Homebuilding Education Leadership Program (HELP)-funded universities.
Through the program, Beckman learned about legal, legislative and regulatory issues that affect the building industry. He also learned about building products and management best practices while interning for a week at the NAHB Research Center.
“I really gained not only relationships and connections, but also the knowledge of what the NAHB employees do on a daily basis and what they do for the members,” said Beckman. “I will be sure to use NAHB as an asset and resource moving forward in my career.”
In addition, as part of the internship, Beckman also worked for six weeks with two builders in the Washington, D.C. area.
The internship program “was just a fabulous experience,” said Andy Rosenthal, of Rosenthal Homes in Rockville, Md., one of the program’s participating builders. “The students were interested, focused and willing to learn. I have participated in hosting other interns before and this is by far the best experience I have ever had. I give this program my highest endorsement.”
Now that the internship has been completed, Beckman said he looks forward to taking what he learned over the summer and helping his classmates with the annual NAHB Student Chapter Residential Construction Management Competition at the 2010 International Builders’ Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 19-22.
“I cannot wait to share some of the information I learned over the summer. I will have handouts for the team from my time at NAHB as well as real life experience that I was able to learn from the project managers that I had the privilege to work next to all summer,” Beckman said
Felicia Watson, of NAHB and a coordinator of the internship program, said that NAHB was able to offer the internship program during one of the worst economic downturns this county has experienced in years because of the support assistance provided by the National Housing Endowment and several NAHB members.
“Despite economic hardships facing the home building industry, NAHB not only managed to receive an incredible number of qualified student applicants, it also received generous support from three home builder members who offered their time to mentor these students,” Watson said.
“I am very proud of these two young men,” said Gary Garczynski, endowment chairman and 2002 NAHB president. “They are both excited about working in our industry and, through the internship, took advantage of a great opportunity to learn more about housing.”
“By supporting programs like this internship and the Homebuilding Education Leadership Program, the National Housing Endowment is investing in the future generations of home builders,” he said.
Beckman and fellow intern Walters will report on their internship experiences to endowment trustees during the International Builders’ Show in January.
For more information about the endowment, visit www.nationalhousingendowment.org.
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