Megan Scherpereel builds on past experiences at Miller-Davis.

Hometown

South Bend, Indiana

Education

Western Michigan University
Civil Engineering Major, Mathematics Minor; Expected Graduation: Spring 2020

Position

Project Management Intern at Miller-Davis

On the Job

My role is to support the project management team. Our purpose is to coordinate office communications to make sure that our construction team is well-informed so they can do their job. Clear communication and understanding what we need to accomplish on site are the most important aspects of my role. I enjoy that some days I am out on the construction site, and other days I am in the office putting together the paperwork that will keep the project moving.

The Big Project

We are working on a $40 million, multi-year project for Comstock Public Schools. The first stage started last fall before my internship began, when Miller-Davis renovated the front office spaces of the district’s schools and added another level of security to its entrances. After I started, Miller-Davis began working on phase two, which was an update to the locker rooms. My participation began in the demolition phase, as well as the construction of the electrical and plumbing systems. Then, we kicked off phase three: the renovation of all the bathrooms. There are six schools in the district and approximately 36 bathrooms to finish, so our team worked hard all summer long!

A Passion For Building

I love being in this construction environment and seeing everything come together. Slowly, as Miller-Davis installs ceiling tiles and polishes the floors, you can start to see the finished project materialize. It is so rewarding to see ideas come to life in physical buildings.

My dad is a contractor, so when I was growing up, I got to see him renovating and building houses. I spent summers with him on build sites working and watching the process. When I was young, my dad even added on to the house we lived in, so in a sense, I grew up on a construction site. These experiences have helped me a lot, but this internship is teaching me that I still have a lot to learn.

Learning From the Best

Being observant and asking the right questions has really helped me grow. It also helps that I have a great mentor at Miller-Davis, Amanda Mason, to give me answers. She is on the board of the National Association of Women in Construction and is the vice president of its local chapter. I appreciate the opportunity to go to monthly meetings so I can hear from other women in the industry who do everything from construction management to geotechnical engineering.