Kimberly Bernstein

After my junior year at Cornell, I had the privilege to spend the summer as an intern for Turner Construction Company in New York City. I was assigned to work with the team on the World Trade Center Tower 2 project. During my time at this project, I helped manage the day-to-day tasks that needed to be completed at the construction site.

Some of my responsibilities included reviewing drawings, creating and compiling required documentation and working with the subcontractors and owners of the project. I was fortunate enough to work with a team who took the time to mentor me throughout the summer and spend time every day teaching me more about working in the construction industry. One of my favorite parts of working on this project was visiting the job site. Being from the New York City area, it meant a lot to me to be able to use my time with Turner to help in the process of rebuilding the World Trade Center. 

My internship put a tangible experience to my undergraduate education. I’ve spent a lot of time over the last four years learning about the theories behind civil engineering and construction, so having the chance to work on such an amazing project really brought my education to life. My internship prepared me for the future in many ways by giving me a real-life application of what I hoped my career would be like and learning to work on a professional team. Ultimately, interning for Turner and on this project showed me what I really enjoy about the construction industry, which is making an idea into a reality. I am incredibly grateful for my time with Turner and my team this past summer and am looking forward to the projects I will work on in the future with Turner.