This summer Fuss & O’Neill hosted 16 interns across our New England offices. Here they share their perspectives, key takeaways, and advice they would give to future interns before they head back to school to become the future of the AEC industry.
“Overall, what I loved most about this internship was the people. There is a great company culture and my coworkers and supervisors worked hard to make me feel included and valued here. My advice for future interns would be to get to know as many different people as you can and ask questions about their jobs because you can learn so much just by hearing about others’ experiences.” – Sam Huffman, Lafayette College ‘23, Compliance Intern
“I think what I enjoyed most about my internship is that I was finally able to apply everything I learned in school in a real-world scenario. I also got to experience what it is like to work as an engineer, which is wildly different than what school is like. It is very nice to have this experience to learn as much as I can now before I am full-time.” – Alyssa Bisi, University of Connecticut ‘22, Structural Intern
“I thoroughly enjoyed coming in every day not knowing whether I would be working with AutoCAD, doing load calculations, or even going out and doing a site visit. I found myself working on a variety of projects, including agricultural facilities, hospitals, and government buildings. I would recommend this internship to any mechanical engineering student that is looking to grow their skill set in drafting and engineering applications, as well as those looking to learn about the industry.” – Nicholas Wyse, University of Connecticut ‘23, MEP Intern
“My main takeaway from this experience definitely had to be that, no matter how many times you have done something, there may always be a better way to do it. Therefore, it is best to always keep an open mind and listen to those around you and what ideas they may have.” – Noah Stanton, University of Massachusetts Lowell ‘23, Survey Intern
“My advice for future interns is: do not be afraid to ask questions or for clarification. You are not expected to know how to do everything correctly. The more you learn and understand, the better it is for the company. Anyone you are working with will want you to learn and get better at any task. They are there to help you and, from my experience, they gladly will.” – Holly Russell, University of Massachusetts Amherst ‘22 (BS) and ‘23 (MS), Highway and Roadway Intern
“The work environment was great and everyone in the office was willing to offer help on any project I was working on. I felt as if the projects given to me were to help me grow. I was able to work on a few projects that included watershed delineations and other water-related tasks, which I enjoyed the most, as well as getting out in the field.” – Jacob Stephens, University of New Hampshire ‘23, Site/Civil Intern
“One of my key takeaways is you shouldn’t be afraid to ask for help because there is always someone willing to help. If you don’t ask, you will never learn. I even learned how to play cornhole and attended my first baseball game ever, which was awesome!” – Phiona Nalugo, Northeastern University ‘23, Highway and Roadway Intern
“My supervisor and the other field staff have been very helpful, and have taught me so much in the role of field personnel, as well as how to handle certain sites to the expectations of the Project Managers. My days often consisted of traveling to sites across the state [of Connecticut] and performing work such as site analysis and research, soil sampling, soil boring, well installation and development, well sampling, and other similar assignments. I also worked with the data gathered through field work and performed some report writing.” – Casey Bowden, University of New Hampshire ’23, Environmental Intern
“My overall experience at Fuss & O’Neill was very educational. I significantly improved my AutoCAD skills and was able to better understand the process of design and construction. The work I focused on was site design, so I learned about what goes on behind the scenes of a building, such as electrical and water lines, or making sure an area is ADA accessible. My typical workday consisted of analyzing plans, writing up drainage reports, and making edits to plan sheets in AutoCAD.” – Margot Hill, University of Connecticut ‘23, Site/Civil Intern
“I worked on real-world projects alongside my mentor, and learned a lot about the world of engineering and the applications that could never be learned from a textbook. What I liked most about interning at Fuss & O’Neill was the opportunities they gave me to explore multiple disciplines. I mostly worked in the Traffic Department, but I went on an MEP site visit for a day and did some work for the Structural Group. I even went on site visits for projects I wasn’t working on to get a sense of all the different areas in civil engineering. ” – Ellie DeSantos, University of Connecticut ‘25, Traffic Intern
“Overall, I have had a great experience with Fuss & O’Neill. In particular, I enjoyed the connections I have made. I have loved coming into the office and being able to talk with coworkers. I have learned about many different disciplines and projects through conversations. I returned for a second summer because of the people I was able to work alongside and the many opportunities Fuss & O’Neill has to offer. Being a multidisciplinary company, I had the opportunity to broaden my knowledge of different aspects of environmental engineering. This gave me the chance to meet more people, learn new skills, and gain and understanding of what I want to do after I graduate.” – Caitlin Strzegowski, Worcester Polytechnic Institute ‘23 (BS) and ‘23 (MS), Compliance Intern
“All my coworkers and supervisors in the Community Development Department are sociable. We have had many lively group lunches, and internal meetings always have room for friendly tangents. Typically I will start with work left over from the previous day or I do a loop asking coworkers for work and practice AutoCAD. All my work is through AutoCAD (civil/site design) and is always assigned to me through markups of plans or written/verbal instructions. This internship solidified my preferred engineering discipline, for sure.” – Shawn Shay, University of Connecticut ‘25, Site/Civil Intern
“Every task I was involved in gave me a great insight into what a typical day in the life of a civil/environmental engineer would be like. I also enjoyed getting to know my coworkers outside of the work environment and it was a great opportunity to connect with some recent URI grads who are now full-time in the office. I enjoyed having a balance of field work and office work. It’s exciting to see the design-side of the project and then go out, in person, to see the plans being implemented.” – Katie Cretella, University of Rhode Island ‘23, Water Resources Intern