Meet Sofia Iaquinto, member of Granger Construction’s 2022 Summer Internship Program. This summer, Sofia has been working with the Ingham County Justice Complex project team.
- Hometown: Commerce Township, MI
- School: Michigan State University
- Field of Study: Construction Management
- Year at School: Junior
Q: What are some of your favorite experiences from school?
A: One of my favorite experiences from school is transferring to MSU and then moving into an apartment with my best friend from 4th grade. Over the past year we have made many new memories together including going to the Michigan vs. Michigan State game and seeing MSU win 37-33.
Q: What is one fun fact about yourself?
A: A fun fact about me is that my family is from Italy and a couple years ago we took a trip to my grandparents’ hometown of Cassino, Italy, and visited my Grandpa’s property that still has his childhood home on it.
Q: Why did you choose to intern with Granger?
A: I chose to intern with Granger because I heard many good things about this company and that they have a great internship program. Interning with Granger also allowed me to stay local due to them being based out of Lansing and having many projects going on in the Lansing area.
Q: What were you most excited to learn about or do during your internship?
A: I am most excited to be on an actual construction site and be able to see the things I learn in school be implemented on a construction job. I think getting real world experience from an internship will allow you to learn a lot more than you would in a classroom. Also, I am already seeing a lot of progress on this project from the start of my internship, and I am very excited to see the progress and what has been completed by the end of my internship.
Q: What has been your favorite or most meaningful experience so far in your internship?
A: I think the most meaningful experience I have had so far at this internship is being able to follow our superintendent around on site. Going on walks around the site with him has taught me many new things about construction that I would have never known from just sitting in a classroom. This has also taught me a lot more about what goes into the role of being a superintendent.
Q: What have been the biggest challenges so far?
A: So far, the biggest challenge for me has been getting used to working on such a big job site with so many people, and with so many things going on. Everything is also always changing and new issues are always coming along and it can be hard to keep up with.
Q: How will this internship impact your future career goals?
A: I have always been more into residential construction due to my family being in the residential construction business so working at a commercial construction company has allowed me to see the differences between commercial and residential construction. Therefore, I hope by the end of this internship I will know what I like better and have more of an idea of what I want to get into in the future.
Q: What advice do you have for other students considering an internship with Granger?
A: The advice I have is to attend career fairs that Granger will also be attending because this is where you can meet people who work for Granger, talk to them and discuss your resume. This gives you a better chance of getting the internship because you are talking with the company prior to applying so you stand out.
