Internships are an essential steppingstone for students looking to bridge the gap between classroom learning and real-world experience.
For Lauren Bray and Jacob Oetjen, their internships at The Korte Company provide opportunities to grow their skills, explore their passions and chart a course for their future careers in project management and beyond.
Lauren Bray: Using internship experience to decide her future
Lauren Bray, a senior at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC), didn’t always know she wanted to pursue civil engineering. A natural inclination toward science and math — combined with inspiration from her father and grandfather’s careers in construction — led her to discover her passion.
“I knew I liked science and math a lot in high school,” Lauren said. “After spending time with some engineering clubs at school and learning about my dad and grandpa’s backgrounds in construction, I realized civil engineering was the perfect fit for me.”
This summer, Lauren worked as a project management intern at The Korte Company. Last year, Lauren interned with New Core Building Systems in Utah. After a summer in a new place far away, she knew she wanted to spend her summer interning somewhere close to home while still getting exposed to fresh insights and challenges.
Lauren first connected with The Korte Company during a school job fair, drawn by their commitment to creating a supportive, family-like environment.
“The Korte Company seemed like the perfect fit when I met them at the job fair,” she said. “I was excited about the opportunity to gain hands-on experience, and I was drawn to the company culture here, too.”
Lauren’s role involved communicating with contractors, organizing change orders, and diving into construction software like ProCore. Working on real-world projects gave her new insights into the relationship between design and execution.
“Everything I’ve worked on here has given me fresh perspective on what’s happening after something gets designed,” Lauren said. “The ability to see any issues once the design starts happening, if there are issues, and how I can be better as an engineer to benefit the project long-term, is really invaluable to my future in the field.”
One of her biggest takeaways was realizing how internships allow her to explore different paths within her field.
“I’ve been in a few different fields with internships, so I’m just trying to figure out which one I want to go toward, or if I need to explore a completely different path,” she said. “Working at Korte has given me a good idea of what this job looks like. The goal is to get as much experience as possible, so I know the direction I want to go in once I graduate.”
Jacob Oetjen: From curiosity to construction
Jacob Oetjen, a junior majoring in construction management at Missouri State University, also used his internship to explore what a future in construction might look like.
Unlike Lauren, Jacob didn’t grow up surrounded by the industry. He’s the first in his family to pursue this career path. His interest was sparked by a curiosity about how buildings come to life.
“None of my family members have any background in construction, so I was the first one,” Jacob said. “I have always been pretty interested in how you can go from an idea to a physical building that people use every day. I had always wondered how an actual building is built.”
Jacob first discovered The Korte Company during a career fair, where their Design-Build approach immediately caught his attention.
“I talked to Derek at the career fair,” Jacob said. “He got me interested in all the different kinds of projects Korte does. I also learned they’re a Design-Build company, which really sparked my interest since my program at school is focused on design-bid-build.”
The internship provided opportunities to work on tasks like change orders and operation and maintenance documents for project owners. And, the chance to visit several job sites across the country became the top highlight of his summer.
“I traveled to a USPS job in Arizona for two days and spent five weeks at a site on Whidbey Island, Washington,” he said. “In Washington, I managed tasks like creating and overseeing punch lists while teaching the team on-site how to use ProCore. My favorite part was sitting in on subcontractor coordination meetings and hearing about their daily progress and plans for the week.”
Lessons learned and future aspirations
Both Lauren and Jacob have grown immensely during their time at The Korte Company, each taking away valuable lessons that will shape their careers.
For Lauren, the internship reinforced the importance of organization and communication. “I’ve learned so much about time management, collaboration and the construction process,” she said. “Everyone here is so nice and willing to help.”
Jacob emphasized the importance of being prepared and adaptable. “My biggest takeaway was to be organized and be prepared,” he said. “Organization is definitely a big deal when you’re dealing with tons of emails and documents. I also really found value in notetaking. Writing down the steps when someone shows you how to do something helps make sure you don’t miss a step later on.”
Looking ahead, both interns are excited to apply their experiences to their studies and careers.
Lauren is focused on her senior year and the future possibilities it holds. “This internship has given me a better understanding of the construction field, and I’m excited to keep growing and exploring potential future careers,” she said.
Jacob envisions a career in project management, hopefully with The Korte Company. “I could see myself here at Korte,” he said. “If they offered me a job, I’d take it. I really like it.”
Lauren and Jacob’s summer at The Korte Company has been an opportunity to explore their passions, gain hands-on experience and build the foundation for their future careers.
