KPFF LAS has organized a Virtual Summer Internship Program, not once but twice! In early 2020, the Corona Virus turned our world upside-down. Our circumstance seemed out of our control, but no, we refused to be defeated by this virus. The show must go on! And so, it did last Summer 2020 and this Summer 2021. We were excited to have a handful of interns from last summer return to our virtual internship program this summer. Return for a virtual internship program? This poses the question…how has working remotely impacted their internship experience versus an internship in the office? And without hesitation, they were eager to share.
“I am so grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to intern at KPFF not only once, but twice! It was wonderful to meet other engineers and hear about their careers, and I was glad to see familiar faces when I returned. My two summers at KPFF have been so valuable in helping me continue to grow as an engineer. Even in a virtual setting, I had the resources to work on a variety of projects and I felt comfortable reaching out to my coworkers for help. I also enjoyed having an intern design project that was different from last year’s project, since it gave me an entirely new learning opportunity. Finally, I appreciate the flexibility that I was able to have for my work hours, given that I was working from across the country in New York!” – Carmen Chen
“I had such a positive experience as a returning intern to KPFF LA Structural! Working virtually has its challenges, but exposure to real projects and working in a team setting has been far more rewarding. I learned so much about structural engineering from these projects which helped me gain confidence in my own practice. Each time I struggled with a concept it became a learning opportunity! I cannot thank my coworkers enough because everyone has been kind and patient enough to share their knowledge. I also looked forward to the KPFF Happy Hours and Office Olympics. These events gave me the opportunity to get to know everyone and enjoy my time at KPFF.” – Agustine Benitez
“My experience working remotely this summer has been much more satisfying than the previous summer internship. I would say this time around I was much more prepared in having my workstation put together for working remotely. Working remotely has its advantages with one of them being able to record 1 on 1 training sessions. This allowed me to refer to videos whenever I got lost trying to complete a task. The downside of working remotely is not being able to meet other co-workers from other teams.” – Bryant Ramirez
“Interning at KPFF these past two summers has been a real joy and an excellent learning experience! I was really excited to get the opportunity to come back this summer as I value the great learning environment KPFF has created. The intern design project, entry level seminars, along with the wide variety of project work have allowed me to gain my footing as a Structural Engineer. Additionally, I appreciate my coworkers for be willing to answer my bombardment of engineering questions, no matter how small. While I do not have a lot of in person experience to compare it to, working virtually has been great. While I am sad, I have not had the chance to go into the office, being able to communicate and collaborate with others has still been very easy and enjoyable. I have loved getting the opportunity to get to know and talk with the people on my team as well as others around the office!” – Macky Hamilton
“Looking back at the pandemic era, there had been many unknowns in the world. The biggest unknown in my life was whether I was going to be interning for KPFF LA Structural in the summer of 2020! Being selected as an intern for the summer of 2020 and the summer of 2021 had been an enjoyable time filled with invaluable experience despite the limitations of working remotely. There were many seminars, meetings, and projects that I had been involved with these past two summers, but when I reflect on the memorable parts of my internship, it comes down to the mentorship of the engineers in KPFF LA Structural and how I believe they’ve shaped me for my future as a structural engineer. I’m grateful that everyone was willing to answer my many trivial technical questions throughout the day! Aside from engineering, it was fun competing with others in the Wellness Competition as well as the Summer Olympics!” – Matthew Cristi
“For me, working remotely has had the most impact on interactions with other interns and people in the office. Even with the virtual events that KPFF has organized, getting to know people and socializing has been more difficult than it otherwise would have been in person. When it comes to working, being remote hasn’t had too much of an impact on my productivity. Teams has made communicating easy and efficient. Having a call with someone and giving them control of my screen is almost as good as having someone helping me at my desk in the office. Overall, although working remotely hasn’t been ideal, KPFF has done a great job making it a fun and valuable learning experience.” – Patrick Fox
Thank you, Carmen, Agustine, Bryant, Macky, Matthew, and Patrick for being open and honest. Based on your responses, the same message resonates through. We are doing something right! Thanks to a select team of engineers, modelers, support staff, and a lot of detailed planning and preparing, our LA Structural internship program can be and will be a success even virtually. So, if we must have a virtual 2022 summer internship, have no fear, we are equipped to produce an internship that will help launch your career in structural engineering.
