Irina Barneda/Staff Writer
As the pandemic continues, many college students are now virtually working in fields that are typically hands-on, including construction management student, Andrea Peña Yuja,
Yuja had two separate six-week-long internships with Juneau Construction. One in-person and the other virtually.
“Last summer, I worked at Cocowalk at the starting phase of the project. So I was actually in the field,” said Yuja.
This summer Yuja worked remotely.
“During the first three weeks of my virtual internship, I worked on a project called Grove Central that’s going to be built here in Miami,” said Yuja. “Then, in the last three weeks of my internship, I worked on the documents for Cocoawalk, which was very interesting. I was part of the beginning and the end of the project.”
Both experiences were different and Yuja did not know what to expect for the remote internship because her major is very hands-on.
“During the virtual internship, I didn’t get to see how they poured the concrete, installed stuff, put things together, nor the actual construction,” said Yuja. “But I was also excited because I got to be part of the pre-construction which I didn’t get to experience last year… it met all of my expectations.”
Yuja has been involved in construction her whole life. Her grandfather was an engineer and her father has been in construction for almost 20 years.
“When I was younger, I wanted to be a doctor… just like everyone else did,” said Yuja. “But when I realized that I had to study for so many years, I decided I wanted to do something related to construction, so I studied construction management.”
Yuja has been working with her parents at their company, City Drywall Construction in Miami, since she was fifteen. She will finish school this upcoming fall and plans to continue working with them and eventually get her general contractor license.
“I want to eventually grow my parent’s company with my knowledge, that is why I studied construction management,” said Yuja. We’re just drywall contractors; I want to move up and be a general contractor who does it all.”
People were surprised when they found out Yuja wanted to go into construction.
“People stereotype, you know,” said Yuja. “They don’t understand why I want to get dirty instead of sitting in an office, but I still decide to do it because that’s what I like and enjoy. I love my classes, and I like being hands-on.
During both of Yuja’s internships with Juneau Construction, the engineers, project manager, and the central part of the project were women.
“You don’t hear about women in construction often, but actually, there is a surprising amount in that field,” she said.
Yuja got the internship after giving Juneau Construction her resume at the FIU career fair.
“Thankfully I got a call back from them,” said Yuja. “I got a call back from a couple of companies, but I chose Juneau because it is a woman based company, so I felt welcomed.”
When asked if she’d do the virtual internship again, Yuja said yes.
“I would do it again,” said Yuja. “Even though I like to get dirty and like to wear my vest, hat, boots, and like to walk the site, I would still do it again because I learned a lot.”
Andrea Peña Yuja signing the beam at the top-off with Juneau Construction. Photo courtesy of Andrea Peña Yuja.
Thanks to the internship being remote, Yuja got to interact with people whom she usually wouldn’t.
“I got to speak with CEO’s and highly ranked people at the company, who would not have the time to meet in person because they have busy schedules,” said Yuja. “So I like that I got a chance to talk to them and ask questions.”
For anyone considering a remote internship, Yuja has one piece of advice: be prepared as you would for an in-person internship.
“Make sure you set up your equipment and check the Internet because it can go down,” she said. “You don’t want to be late. Also, don’t be scared. It’s a nice experience, whatever company you intern with, they will have been organized for a while to make it a good experience.”
Yuja wants other women in construction to know that they are not alone and to keep moving forward with their dreams.
“Don’t be scared. You’re going to feel welcome in the field,” she said. “Avoid listening to the negative comments people are going to tell you. This profession pays well, so don’t quit.”
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