Sarah Lawrence
- Project Engineer
- Howard S. Wright a Balfour Beatty Company
School Information
School: Bellevue College
College Major:
Years at College Works: 2016-2017
Career Information
Working For: Howard S. Wright a Balfour Beatty Company
Title: Project Engineer
Industry: Construction
Brief Description of Duties / Responsibilities:
Pre-construction, Facilitate Documents and Project Information, Project Management of Commercial Construction Projects – Ground-up and Tenant Improvements – Office, Hospitality, Medical Facilities, Bio-tech Lab Spaces, Industrial Facilities, Education, etc.!
What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?My success in my career in Construction!
College Works Career Impact
In one sentence, what has CW meant to you?
College Works Painting has been pivotal for my career allowing me to gain experience unlike many of my peers my age. This experience has presented opportunities for me in Commercial Construction. Also provided me with all the necessary skills to be successful. I’ve found that through College Works Painting, I have gained courage and tenacity that I have applied towards a career in Construction Management.
How did your CW experience impact your career? Immediately after graduation? Now?
Immediately after High School Graduation (Running Start College Student) I received an offer to work as a Project Engineer for a premiere commercial painting subcontractor.
What do you want to tell your clients about what it meant to work with them and how it has helped you get to where you are today?
I had many amazing homeowners that put their faith and trust in me to paint the exterior of their homes. They all taught me invaluable lessons regarding expectation setting and communication, and of course everything I was able to learn from the marketing to the production of the house painting projects.
What was the greatest lesson you learned from your CW experience?
Resiliency! You get rejected a lot, but you keep knocking on doors, keep doing estimates, you face what feels like the most personal rejection, you may fail at managing certain people, but you keep trying, you keep going, you keep learning and growing stronger!
How have the friendships and networks you built during CW affected you?
I still am connected with my peers who did College Works Painting :)
If you had to come up with a one line slogan for CW, what would it be?
Invaluable and incomparable experience that will make you more competitive than your peers!
Advice
What advice do you have for potential CW participants? Current CW participants?
You will be challenged, do not give up, no matter if you sell $30K to $250K, the experience and skills attained is invaluable and can be applied towards any career, construction or not!
Many college students struggle to choose between an internship specific to their target industry or doing CW. What advice would you give them on this subject if they wanted to enter your career field?
Experience is highly valued currency in the construction industry, and I have managed to work with the largest company globally due to my experience in the industry.
What’s your best advice for someone interested in entering your career field?
Real world working experience is highly valued, and you’ll stand a greater chance of being valued with relevant internships and experience to compliment a Construction Management, Architecture, Engineering (etc.) Degree. It’s so important to prioritize gain real working experience to not only compliment your degree, but to expose you to the real world. College Works Painting provides an immersive and challenging experience unlike any other with the opportunity to be on the front lines work alongside others, with clients, with employees, and learning the importance of communication, developing and refining your work-ethic!
What’s your favorite memory from CW?
My mentor, Giovanna Graciani, was one of the best mentors throughout my career. She helped me conquer work-life balance and time management through many meetings at UW’s Suzzallo Library!
Last words of wisdom?
Highly recommend this internship!