What Our 2025 Interns Had to Say About Their Summer at VJS

Our internship program plays a key role in supporting the recruitment, training, and development of future construction professionals. Designed to give students a well-rounded look at the industry, the program offers hands-on experience across a variety of disciplines—from project management and estimating to marketing, accounting, field operations, and more. Interns are paired with mentors, gain exposure to job sites and workshops, and take part in team building and community service activities that round out their summer experience.

This year, we had the opportunity to catch up with a few of our 2025 summer interns before their program wrapped up to hear about their experiences firsthand. As they head back to school and look ahead to future endeavors, we wish them continued success and are excited to see where their paths in construction will take them. Here’s what they had to say.

Axel Jimenez - Marquette University

Internship Assignment: Special Projects Team

Question: What has been the best thing about the internship?

Axel: The best thing has been the people I’ve met and the connections I’ve made. Everyone at VJS was open and willing to show the interns things and explain things in detail. This process helped me pick things up quickly and helped me during my internship as I gradually took on tasks from simple to difficult.

Question: What is something you didn’t expect/surprised you about your internship experience?

Axel: I was surprised how much I learned about the financial aspects of construction. As a civil engineer student, we don’t really learn this. Half of my experience with the Special Projects Team was learning the estimating and proposal process as well as reaching out to clients.

Question: What has been the not so best thing about the internship?

Axel: Personally, I didn’t like calling subcontractors for bids. It was scary at first, but I got the hang of it by the end of my internship.

Georgia Klumker – University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee

Internship Assignment: Architecture Department

Question: What has been the best thing about the internship?

Georgia: The best part, especially this summer, was learning about all the different things under the VJS roof. Although I’m aware of the different teams here, the ability to take the time to sit down with someone from each team and learn their day-to-day has been super meaningful to understanding how everything fits together.

Question: What is something you didn’t expect/surprised you about your internship experience?

Georgia: The most surprising thing is trying to understand all the behind-the-scenes things that goes into a single construction project. My mind has been blown several times learning what each single person has done to contribute to a project.

Question: What has been the not so best thing about the internship?

Georgia: The most challenging thing has been finding a work/life balance and learning to prioritize and set boundaries.

Jack Filipi – Marquette University (right in the photo above)

Internship Assignment: Aviation Team

Question: What has been the best thing about the internship?

Jack: The best part of my internship has definitely been the amount I’ve been able to learn and the exposure I’ve gotten to the industry and the company. I didn’t come from a project management background, so this experience has really helped me grow. On top of that, the culture here and the people I get to work with at VJS have made it even better.

Question: What is something you didn’t expect/surprised you about your internship experience?

Jack: It was a pleasant surprise spending a lot of time on a project site working with the superintendents. They all were very approachable and taught me a lot. If I ever had a question, they were able to answer.

Question: What has been the not so best thing about the internship?

Jack: The least favorite part has probably been some of the simple, repetitive tasks—like taking meeting minutes. It’s not the most exciting thing to do, but I get why it’s important. It actually helps me pay closer attention, retain more information, and ask better questions about what’s being discussed.

Isabella Cook – Milwaukee School of Engineering

Internship Assignment: Franklin Public Schools and Menomonee Falls School District Teams

Question: What has been the best thing about the internship?

Isabella: I’m most excited about how much I’ve learned in a short amount of time. The real-world experience – learning to communicate with subcontractors, making sure things flow well and how to resolve problems is a different experience from what I’m learning in the classroom.

Question: What is something you didn’t expect/surprised you about your internship experience?

Isabella: Everything is on Procore - communications, photos, and meetings. As a future engineer, I hadn’t learned ProCore and it was a “whoa” learning moment. Also, I was surprised with how cold everything was from the office to the trailer.

Question: What has been the not so best thing about the internship?

Isabella: The early morning start times especially when I had an hour commute to the Menomonee Falls job site.

Madeline (Maddie) Donavan - Iowa State University

Internship Assignment: Self-Perform Team

Question: What has been the best thing about the internship?

Maddie: The best thing has been the people. The first thing I noticed was the culture and environment here. On the first day, everyone knew my name and said hi. Everyone was super nice and super welcoming. It’s nerve wrecking to come into a new company. But it’s nice to come in and feel seen and heard.

Three months later still feels good, and everyone takes the time to get to know you – it’s such a building block for the internship.

Question: What is something you didn’t expect/surprised you about your internship experience?

Maddie: What surprised me most was how different each intern’s experience turned out to be. I expected to just get used to the construction world, but I didn’t realize how much variety there would be across departments, projects, and roles. Some of us were in the office, some out in the field, and even when we were technically doing the same job, it looked different depending on the project. Getting to see both office work and jobsites—and hearing about what other interns were doing—really opened my eyes to how many different opportunities there are in construction.

Question: What has been the not so best thing about the internship?

Maddie: Honestly, the not-so-best part has been when the dogs aren’t in the office—I really enjoy it when at least one is around. The other downside would be dealing with traffic, which definitely isn’t my favorite part of the day.

Jordan Skolmar – Milwaukee School of Engineering (left in photo above)

Internship Assignment: Milwaukee School of Engineering Team

Question: What has been the best thing about the internship?

Jordan: The best thing about my internship has been getting to know the subcontractors and VJS staff. Everyone has been kind and helpful, which makes it enjoyable coming to work every day.

Question: What is something you didn’t expect/surprised you about your internship experience?

Jordan: As a student, the level of trust from my mentors surprised me the most. I appreciated that they were available to answer any questions I had while not being micromanaged.

Question: What has been the not so best thing about the internship?

Jordan: The one thing I wish had been different about the internship is having more chances to connect with the office staff and other interns. Since most of my time was spent out in the field, it was harder to build those relationships.