It was the spring semester of Giselle Martinez’s junior year, and already, she was beginning to feel defeated. After months of researching architecture/engineering/construction (AEC) internships and taking interviews, the civil engineering major and deputy commissioner of the Associated Students of UC Merced’s (ASUCM) Sustainability Commission had yet to land the right opportunity.

“At that point, I’d interviewed with several companies, but nothing had worked out,” she says. “It was definitely disappointing.”

Although she wasn’t optimistic, she decided to attend UC Merced’s final career fair of the spring 2023 semester and earn a few extra credit points from one of her professors. All she had to do was show up, talk to one of the participating companies, and take a photo with the company representative as proof of attendance.

As she made her way around dozens of company booths, one banner in particular caught her eye—a tall green one that read “WEBCOR: Building a Sustainable World.”

“As a civil engineering major interested in construction and sustainability, I felt like the stars had just aligned,” she says. “The structures construction companies deliver usually impact people’s lives for decades to come—exactly the type of meaningful work that drew me to civil engineering.”

Giselle headed straight for Webcor’s booth and introduced herself to the attending intern manager, Project Manager Karen Turcios. Immediately, Giselle knew this networking experience was different from the others she’d had. Like Giselle, Karen was not only a graduate of UC Merced’s engineering department but a member of the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the nation’s largest association for Hispanics in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). Their instant connection fueled an unexpected but rewarding conversation about Giselle’s professional goals and Webcor’s summer internship program.

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A week later, Giselle received a call from Karen inviting her to interview for a project engineer (PE) internship that summer. In late March, she accepted Webcor’s offer. After months of searching and interviewing, she’d secured that elusive first internship she needed to kickstart her AEC career.

Although she was thrilled to get started, imposter syndrome began to infiltrate her thoughts—would her lack of construction experience hinder her ability to meaningfully contribute to her team? She decided to open up to Karen about it, who immediately put her mind at ease.

“Karen made me feel so welcome,” Giselle says. “She reassured me I was worthy of this incredible opportunity. I was so excited to get on-site; I loved that Webcor was (and still is) leading such interesting projects in San Francisco.”

Last summer, Giselle interned at UCSF Helen Diller Hospital (formerly New Hospital at Parnassus Heights), where she supported the Site Make-Ready (SMR) team. “I was captivated by not just the problems they were solving and work they were performing, but how harmoniously they executed everything together,” she recalls. “My experience there inspired me to return to Webcor this summer for a second internship.”

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Giselle’s currently supporting document control, RFIs, and submittals at UCI Mesa, where she’s interning with the core & shell team. She’s also diving into the world of exhibit L1s, trade coordination, and quality control and beginning to shadow superintendents in the field—valuable hands-on experiences that will propel her development into a well-rounded AEC professional. Whether she’s assisting project managers, superintendents, safety managers, subcontractors, or craft professionals, Giselle’s seized every learning opportunity to deepen her understanding of this remarkably complex but fascinating industry.

“Every day at the job site, I look forward to learning something new,” she says. “I’ve pushed past the fear of looking ignorant and learned it’s always better to ask thoughtful questions than to make assumptions. Asking questions is how you learn!”

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Outside of her internship, Giselle’s excited to discover hidden café gems, play basketball, and catch a few summer sunsets with her friends. “I always enjoy trying new things and exploring new places!”

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