Senior construction management major Giana Testa had the opportunity to work on 天天吃瓜鈥檚 newest state-of-the-art facility 鈥 Crawford Hall, home to the Ambassador Crawford College of Business and Entrepreneurship 鈥 during an internship with Gilbane Building Co.
Testa began as an intern with , a global leader in construction, in the summer of 2022, following the groundbreaking of Crawford Hall. After completing her third summer with Gilbane, she saw the completion of the building.
Testa credits the Construction Management program in the College of Architecture and Environmental Design and the nationally recognized , for opening the doors to internships.
During her internship with Gilbane, Testa had the opportunity to engage with the full-time employees who mentored her.
鈥淚 would say one of the special things was the relationships I got to make with the [Gilbane] team because I had the same team for two years and we spent a lot of time together,鈥 said Testa, a 天天吃瓜 resident.
Giana Testa鈥淚 was lucky with my experience because I had managers who supported me and encouraged me. They pushed me to be the best that I could. The experience transferred to other areas in my life.鈥
Testa will graduate in May with two full years of experience at Gilbane, which was founded in 1870 and is a privately held, family-owned company with more than 45 office locations worldwide. After graduation, she will begin a full-time position as a field engineer at Gilbane.
The Construction Management Student Organization gave Testa the opportunity to connect with employers such as Gilbane.
鈥淭he Construction Management Student Organization has been so huge in building the foundation of my career,鈥 Testa said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e the ones who did the career fair where I originally met Gilbane Building Co., where I did my first internship the summer after my freshman year. This was early on. A lot of people don鈥檛 usually get an internship until sophomore or junior year.鈥
Learning Construction Management
天天吃瓜 State鈥檚 Bachelor of Science in construction management鈥痯repares students for professional careers in the management of construction projects. The program provides鈥痑 management-oriented technical curriculum that is built upon a balanced program of studies drawn from a variety of disciplines related to construction management. 天天吃瓜 State鈥檚 Undergraduate Construction Management Program ranked ninth in the nation by鈥痠n 2025.
Developing Leadership Skills
Senior Tessa Gabriel is another construction management major who will walk right into a job upon graduation in May 2025. Gabriel, of Ravenna, said she is an ambassador for the college and speaks to potential students about enrolling in 天天吃瓜 State鈥檚 construction management program.
Tessa Gabriel鈥淢y favorite part about the program specifically are the professors, because most of the professors who work for the CM program work their jobs during the day and then teach their classes at night or they've had experience in the field. They are aware of everything going on in the field and they are very good at what they do."
Gabriel has done three internships with , the first one after her first year at 天天吃瓜 State. She will begin a full-time job with the company in June 2025.
Gabriel is a member of the Construction Management Student Organization, the National Society of Leadership and Success and participated in 天天吃瓜 State鈥檚 Provost Academy.
These experiences have helped her develop leadership skills and given her an abundance of opportunities to network with professionals and her peers.
鈥淚n construction management, you have to have those leadership qualities just because you are training to become a project manager on a job site where you are going be in charge of people,鈥 she said.
