How did you get involved with NHEO Institute? Why?
I came across the opening for the Corporate Communications Intern position on my school’s job search engine. I am interested in getting a job in Marketing or Advertising after I graduate college and a lot of the job functions (promoting a campaign, creating content for social media) were the kind of stuff that I wanted to do. Once I did my initial interview and heard what the organization was about, I was on board.
How was your experience working with the organization and its members?
Other members of the organization that I have made contact with have been great to work with and helpful. A lot of the work I have done for the organization has involved graphic design, and I have received helpful feedback on quite a few of my designs. I really appreciated that because I was able to take that advice and improve my work. Also, just recently, another intern and I got together to help a couple of the newer interns by coordinating a call, and that was a great collaboration.
Do you think this organization has had a positive impact on you?
Absolutely. Not only the marketing/advertising experience I am obtaining but also how much I’ve been learning about the construction industry and construction safety. I have only been working here for few months and I feel like I have learned more about those things than I have in 22 years!
Do you think this organization has had a positive impact on the community?
Yes, I do! It’s an organization that provides helpful services to people and an organization that promotes a great message. With the amount of major companies that have committed to the Building a Safer Future campaign, it is obvious that the message has spread and had an impact in the industry.
What do you think are the biggest challenges for Hispanics in construction?
Based on what I have learned, I would say the language barrier. I think that has lead to the rising deaths in the construction industry because people can’t fully understand if the way they are doing things is safe.
How can these challenges be overcome?
I think that services like NHEO Institute offers are great ways to combat these problems. Almost all the people providing the courses and services at NHEO Institute speak Spanish, so that communication barrier is eliminated.
What would you share with students who would like to join the NHEO Institute Internship program?
The two main things are that it’s a great place to gain experience and the mentors allow you work autonomously. You come up with a set of goals at the beginning and how you achieve them is mostly up to you. I really enjoy that because I can plan out my work based on my schedule and it also allows me to be more organized. However, you do still have a weekly call with your mentor in case you are having trouble with anything.
What is something that surprises people about you?
I am a big fan of movies. My favorites are the Back to the Future Trilogy and the original Star Wars Trilogy.
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