Our RAND Summer Interns, Class of 2022! From left to right: Ben Sindone, Jassjeet Singh, Mei Qi Yan, Adam Gildea, and Jaiden Aguilar. Not pictured: Aishwarya Sontakke.
Happy National Intern Day to our fantastic summer interns!
In recognition of their hard work and contributions to RAND, we are celebrating with a luncheon today and spotlighting three of our RAND Class of 2022 interns. Thank you to all our interns for your diligence and dedication, and for sharing your experiences below.
Mei Qi Yan, Structural Team
Junior at Stony Brook University
Major: Civil Engineering with a specialization in Structural Engineering
Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2023
What does it mean to be a RAND intern?
That’s one of the many questions I asked myself when reflecting on my internship experience at RAND. What did I do? What did I learn? What will I miss? Let’s walk through each question.
What did I do? I had a wide range of experiences throughout my internship at RAND. My first week, I organized a database of 2021 estimates of structural bid items relating to general requirements, site work, concrete, metals, etc., and organized the Structural Team’s library. Some days I worked on AutoCAD, drawing details or adjusting standards. Other times I had learning sessions with individual team members about various topics, such as structural design, AutoCAD tips and tricks, the difference between various drawing and modeling programs, and the importance of structural components, just to name a few. I also went on site visits and Special Inspections with members of the Structural Team. From Harlem, Manhattan to Newport, Jersey City to East New York, Brooklyn, I travelled all over the city and never failed to learn something new at every site visit.
What did I learn? So much new information. Site visits provided me with new insights into construction, inspections, materials, equipment, contractors, and more. On my first trip out of the office and into the field, I learned about special inspections, certifications, and welding licenses from Project Engineer Luis Lopez. The next two site visits showed me the relationship between clients, contractors, managers, and engineers, how they all communicate to address and resolve issues, and how coordination plays a huge role in the process of construction. A site visit with Senior Structural Engineer Jason Damiano, PE to inspect waterproofing installation taught me the intricacies of the approval process, and dealing with government agencies such as DOT and DOB, and other companies such as ConEdison and Verizon. A structural inspection with Project Engineer Chai Patki, PE, sharpened my observation skills and also my structural judgement, in finding and determining which cracks would be causes for concern compared to hairline fractures.
I also learned about how the different teams at RAND come together and collaborate on the same project, with the MEP Team redesigning the ventilation system while the Structural team focused on implementing methods to prevent water infiltration. Last, but not least, I learned to bring a change of clothes, work boots, and an extra umbrella to the office, because I can never be too prepared, especially when I don’t want to be caught in a skirt and heels on a last minute site visit.
What will I miss? Following Luis and Chai out to site visits and learning about the construction and inspection processes, overhearing conversations about the issues with garden walls and stories about past projects, and asking questions to the entire Structural Team. But I’ll also miss waving ‘good morning’ and ‘goodbye’ to staff members and Structural Team Manager Heejin Cho as they pass by my desk, commenting on Jimmy’s plants by the window, asking everyone in the Structural Team what their favorite structure is, and climbing to the 12th floor every Friday to drop off my timesheet to Human Resources Manager Isabelle Walsh. I’ll miss exploring around the RAND office during lunch break and visiting the museum-like Pool/Recreational room on the 11th floor, with all the artwork and artifacts hanging on the deep blue walls. I’ll miss grabbing a hot drink from the 9th floor and Maintenance Coordinator Denise Lunarola telling me to do jumping jacks to warm up. I’ll miss Healthy Snack Tuesdays, and emails from Office Manager Jenny Derici about the fruit of the week. Most of all, I’ll miss the people here at RAND and the lessons and experiences they bring to me.
So, going back to my first question, what does it mean to be a RAND intern? It means being part of an amazing and supportive team of professionals who are more than willing to teach you what you want to know, as long as you have a desire to learn and grow. I had fun meeting the other RAND interns and sharing our stories and experiences. I talked to so many people at RAND and learned so much from every single one of them. I really appreciated having the opportunity to be a part of RAND, and the lessons I’ve learned, and the skills I’ve developed, the connections I’ve made, all invaluable experiences that I gained solely through my internship at RAND.
Adam Gildea, Administration
Junior at Moravian University
Major: Sociology with a focus on crime and law
Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2023
My Internship experience at RAND has been an eventful and insightful experience for me. This is the third year I have interned at RAND. My time here has taught me a lot about the workforce, and has influenced the direction that my career interests are heading. I started my first internship my freshmen year of college and I worked with the administration department. I did a little bit of everything like answering phones, scanning and organizing drafts into the public file as well as helping with the daily schedule.
My second internship at RAND started my Junior year of college. I had the opportunity to work with the IT department, which was a fun experience. Working with Doron, Granville, and Johan was very interesting, and they always kept me busy. My job while I was with them mostly consisted of us dissembling old work stations and replacing them with up to date monitors and desktops. This year I’m working in the Administration department again and I’m excited to work with Jenny, Anne and the rest of the admin team.
Ben Sindone, Forensics Team
Junior at Miami University of Ohio
Major: Mechanical Engineering
Expected Graduation Date: Spring 2023
Through my years at school, I have found a very strong connection between my passion for engineering and the feeling of accomplishment. This summer at RAND has helped me grow tremendously as a student, colleague, and individual, allowing me to achieve this connection. Working with the forensics team has introduced me to a new method of project management and risk analysis when analyzing specific building recommendations, including my in-person site visits which gave me a stronger perspective of RAND’s consulting techniques.
This internship was my first experience with structural engineering. I was tasked with creating a spreadsheet to organize specific report recommendations from previous site visits. This allowed for a much cleaner and organized method of categorizing information. I also helped to make an additional excel sheet, further increasing the diversity of recommendation categories. Not only will this project offer RAND a much more efficient method of recording site information, but it has taught me how to best acquire and retain information from a report and organize it to optimize company performance and expertise. In addition, I was fortunate enough to go on some site visits which definitely helped me gain a better understanding of RAND’s purpose and serviceability.
I was able to dip my foot in many of the different areas in structural engineering and architecture as well as develop a very strong relationship with my fellow team members. The challenging and rigorous work, coupled with a positive atmosphere and work ethic, has made this internship with RAND as entertaining and as fascinating as can be. I am grateful for the ability to express my skills in problem solving, collaboration, and ingenuity and this could not have been done without the help of RAND’s internship program.
RAND’s internship program offers interns hands-on experience and guidance from mentors in the field of their interest, and opportunities to gain industry knowledge, acquire and develop new skills, and make lasting professional connections.
More RAND intern experiences can be found on our blog. Interested in an internship at RAND? Contact our Human Resources Department for more information.
Isabelle Walsh is RAND's Human Resources Manager.
