2022 Summer Interns @ MATT

As summer comes to a close and many of our interns start returning back to school (and some join the team full-time), meet this year’s summer interns and hear about their experiences interning with MATT Construction.

Meet Emily Otsuka, Alex Wrightsman, Alina Barrett, Kevin Ambriz, Tessa Offutt, Cole Gerber, Brendan Floyd, Lucero Ramirez and Harel Spivak below.

Emily Otsuka: Project Engineer Intern at Cross Creek Ranch Malibu

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your summer at MATT.

A: I’m headed into my senior year at UCLA where I’m studying Civil Engineering. This summer I’m working on the Cross Creek Ranch project in Malibu. My favorite part about the project is getting to know everyone on site and learning about the industry firsthand.

Q: Who has been an influential figure during your time interning at MATT?

A: I have met quite a few influential people this summer, but I think someone who has really influenced me is my Superintendent, Ken Frazier. Ken always comes to work with a smile on his face and is always ready to lighten the mood. Even though working in the field can be difficult and stressful at times, Ken has taught me to approach everything with kindness, patience, and positivity.

Q: What have you learned during your internship?

A: I have learned how many steps go into completing even the smallest aspects of a project and how many people it takes to make a design come to life. I’m excited to go back to school and focus my last year on integrating what I’ve learned about construction into my studies.

Q: If money and time were no object, what would you be doing?

A: I would probably be living in a national park helping with restoration work or just enjoying the views.

Alex Wrightsman: Project Engineer Intern at West Harbor

Q: Tell us a little about yourself and your summer at MATT.

A: I am an incoming fourth year student at Cal Poly Pomona, I have several pets, some exotic and some domestic, I help my mother with her business, and I coach a 14U water polo team. I am on the West Harbor Project, which I like because of how unique it is compared to the other projects MATT is currently working on.

Q: What is your favorite part about working at MATT?

A: The atmosphere. While working in the main office, I have met many of the executives of the company who have been very nice and informative. I have worked for many different companies in various sectors, and no one can create a better family than MATT!

Q: What has been your biggest takeaway from interning at MATT?

A: Collaboration. MATT ensures that their teams are approachable, aiming to eradicate any “left in the dark” feeling, which helps to create an overall positive environment in every aspect of the company.

Q: Who has been an influential figure during your time interning at MATT?

A: My project’s Senior Project Engineer, Connor Rogers. Connor is very insightful and was determined to have me learn as much as possible during my summer at MATT. I have learned a lot thanks to him.

Alina Barrett: VDC/BIM Intern

Q: Tell us a little about yourself and your summer at MATT.

A: After successfully completing my first year as an Architecture major at Cal Poly Pomona, I am excited to be starting my second year soon. This summer, I’ve enjoyed being part of the VDC/BIM department at MATT Construction, which has given me the opportunity to participate in many iconic projects at the Natural History Museum, USC, Hammer Museum and the Holocaust Museum of LA.

Q: What has been your favorite part about your summer internship?

A: My favorite part is generating work in 3-dimensional space by combining provided information into union form. I really enjoy the existing environment of our department at MATT, which comes back to the people. The trust, support, encouragement, challenges, excitements, collaboration and communication are created by the team, which only motivates me to learn more about the industry and technologies.

Q: What has been your biggest takeaway from interning at MATT?

A: My two biggest takeaways are:

1. Communication is key
2. Don’t be afraid to ask questions

Q: What is one item on the top of your bucket list?

A: I love photography. I want to visit each MATT project and create a set of images based on my perspective.

Kevin Ambriz: Project Engineer Intern at Confidential Museum Project

Q: What is your favorite part about interning at MATT?

A: My favorite part about interning at MATT is that I have been able to gain real world knowledge on how spaces are built. Everything from creating a budget to closing out a project can involve long processes and challenges.

Q: Who has been an influential figure during your time interning at MATT?

A: There are two people in specific that have helped me immensely this summer. The first is Jacky Gonzalez; when I first spoke to her, I didn’t have any direction on how to read plans. Jacky worked with me to simplify the plans and helped enable me to perform takeoffs that went towards our budget. Another influential figure is Sergio Mayorquin; if I ever have a question about the construction of a building, he is always there to answer my questions without hesitation and provide me with valuable information.

Q: What have you learned during your internship and how do you plan to take what you’ve learned into your future aspirations?

A: I have learned that teamwork and communication are key in creating a successful work environment. My team always made sure that I fully understood the tasks I was doing and why they were important. I plan to take this experience and build upon it in school and future work experiences.

Q: If money and time were no object, what would you be doing?

A: If money and time were no object, I’d be traveling the world experiencing different cultures, seeing beautiful nature sights, and camping in every place imaginable.

Tessa Offutt: Project Engineer Intern at Confidential Sound Stages Project

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your summer at MATT.

A: I’m from Evansville, Indiana and I am going to be a junior at Purdue University, majoring in Construction Management Technology. This is my second internship with MATT – last summer I was working on Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Audrey Irmas Pavilion. This summer I’m working on a confidential sound stage project.

Q: What is your favorite part about the project you’re working on?

A: Even though we were already a couple months away from our completion date when I joined the project team, we still had construction activities to complete that I had never experienced before. For example, pouring asphalt for the parking lot, finishing up the installation of the electrical equipment, and soundproofing the stages. Not only did I get to participate in these aspects of the project, but I got to see many unique details that go into building production sound stages that I had never even considered before. I’m not sure I can pick one favorite aspect, but if I had to it would be the fact that every day on this project I have learned something new and have had an actual role in helping the team.

Q: What is your favorite part about interning at MATT?

A: My favorite part about interning at MATT would have to be the environment. I have gotten extremely lucky with my project teams the past two summers and the people I have encountered at MATT have an open attitude to help with whatever I need. My project team this summer always mixed up the activities they had me doing so I could be learning while helping them with the work they needed. I felt like they wanted me to learn and feel like I was making an actual difference in helping the team, which I really appreciated because it made me feel useful and productive!

Q Who has been an influential figure during your time interning at MATT?

A: This is a hard question because I feel like both project teams have been super influential to me. I would honestly say that there was something about every single person on my project team this summer that was influential for me; however, if I had to be specific, I would say Erica Leung and Nikita Dave. Erica is our Assistant Project Manager and Nikita is our Senior Project Manager. It was very inspiring to see two women in leadership positions in the field who are so good at what they do. They both have so much knowledge about the industry and exude confidence no matter what they’re doing, which is what I aspire to develop as my career progresses.

Cole Gerber: Superintendent Intern at California Science Center’s Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your summer at MATT.

A: I am currently going into my fifth year at Cal Poly Pomona, majoring in Civil Engineering. This May, I completed my term as the president of the Sigma Chi fraternity on my campus, through which we were awarded “Club/Organization of the Year” out of 200+ clubs and organizations. This is my second internship with MATT. Last summer I worked on the One Westside project as a Project Engineer Intern. In my free time, I enjoy outdoor activities, working out, and spending time with friends and family.

Q: What project are you working on this summer?

A: I am working on California Science Center’s Samuel Oschin Air and Space Center. We are building the future home for the space shuttle Endeavour, which has been in its temporary building here at the Science Center since 2012. This summer I am working as a Superintendent Intern, which has helped me gain further field experience and learn a lot about the beginning of a large project such as this.

Q: What has been your biggest takeaway from interning at MATT?

A: One of my biggest takeaways is that constant communication is very important. A lack of communication amongst the project team, between the design team and the project team, between the subcontractors and the project team, and between the owners and the project team can all be detrimental to a project. Communicating concerns or issues early on often leads to a quick fix, but if it’s not communicated properly, the project could be set back significantly.

Q: Who has been an influential figure during your time interning at MATT?

A: Guillermo Vidrio, Superintendent, has been my supervisor this summer and has taught me so much about the construction process. He has given me great advice when it comes to what I should be mindful of as I progress in my career.

Brendan Floyd: Project Engineer Intern at the Natural History Museum Commons Project

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your summer at MATT.

A: This fall, I am going to be a senior at Purdue University studying Construction Engineering and Management. I am from Pasadena, CA. This is my third summer interning with MATT. During the summers of 2020 and 2021, I was on the Loyola High School project and the (W)rapper. This summer I’m on the Natural History Museum Commons project.

Q: What is your favorite part about interning at MATT?

A: My favorite part has been being able to experience the beginning of a project. I have never been involved in the buyout or demo processes before, so it’s been a really interesting learning experience for me.

Q: Who has been an influential figure during your time at MATT?

A: Throughout all of my summer internships at MATT, my project teams have been incredible. My most influential mentors from 2020-2022 have been Lucy Egbe, Tony Keshishan, and Stephanie Martinez. All three of these people have taught me so much beyond just construction. I greatly attribute my skills and knowledge to them.

Q: What have you learned during your internship and how do you plan to take what you’ve learned into your future aspirations?

A: I have learned many hard skills such as how to process RFIs and submittals, but I’ve also learned so many soft skills such as organization, effective communication, and time management. All of these skills will be crucial as I move forward in my career.

Lucero Ramirez: Human Resources Intern

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your summer at MATT.

A: After being MATT’s Human Resources intern this summer, I just transitioned into my new role as a Talent Resources Coordinator, which helps support the entire Talent team here at MATT. I love to grow my own food and be as sustainable as I can. I’m currently growing my own watermelons and zucchini, and I have harvested at least 12 zucchinis so far. I am also going to grad school for my MBA!

Q: What have you learned during your internship and how do you plan to take what you’ve learned into your future aspirations?

A: I learned all about the full cycle of recruiting from sourcing, to interviewing, to hiring and even off-boarding. I’ll definitely carry all of these skills over into my new position here at MATT.

Q: What has been your biggest takeaway from interning at MATT?

A: My biggest takeaway is the importance of communication. Being in constant communication with my team has made the flow of information and learning seamless. It helps us to always be on the same page.

Q: Who has been an influential figure during your time at MATT?

A: Jennifer Connole. She has taught me so much in such a short amount of time. Jennifer has trusted me and given me opportunities to take the lead on various projects and I’ve been able to learn so much from her.

Harel Spivak: Project Engineer Intern at The (W)rapper

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself and your summer at MATT.

A: My name is Harel and I’m from Woodland Hills, CA. I’m going to be a junior at Purdue University and I am currently majoring in Construction Engineering with a minor in Management. This summer, I’ve been interning at the (W)rapper in Culver City.

Q: What is your favorite part about interning at MATT?

A: The uniqueness of the project I am working on– there’s nothing out there like it. I also enjoy the culture and the team; they have been extremely helpful and patient when teaching me.

Q: What have you learned during your internship and how do you plan to take what you’ve learned into your future aspirations?
A: I have learned a lot from both watching and practicing how to efficiently manage a project. I’ve learned the areas in which I need to improve and grow, as well as areas that are my strengths. This will allow me to improve in the areas I’m lacking so that I can be as productive and efficient as possible going forward.

Q: What is one item on the top of your bucket list?

A: To travel to every place in the world at least once.

Thank you to all of our incredible interns for your hard work this summer and for participating in these interviews. We look forward to cheering you on as you continue you forward in your education and careers!