It’s officially summer and while our intern program looks a little different this year (thanks COVID), it’s still going strong! Meet our 2020 Summer Interns!

 

Name: Lindsey Bottom
From: Parker, CO
University: Benedictine College
Studying (Major): Chemical Engineering
Graduating: December 2020
Merrick office: Greenwood Village, CO
What is your internship for at Merrick? Process Engineering with Nuclear Services & Technology
Why did you want to intern at Merrick? I was looking for a company that is dedicated to service and outreach and Merrick’s Corporate Responsibility was most impressive. I wanted a company that was diverse in markets since, as a student, I am still learning what interests me most in chemical engineering. Engineers at Merrick get to work on a variety of projects in a variety of industries.
What’s the best part about working at Merrick so far? The involvement they let their interns have. I have been able to see a lot of drawings, calculations, and reports and have even been a part of revising or optimizing results. Not only do they let you do real work, but they take the time out of their day to walk you through it, point you to resources, and teach you new things vital to performing the task.

Name: Daniel Cheney
From: Charlotte, NC
University: Brigham Young University
Studying (Major): Mechanical Engineering
Graduating: April 2022
Merrick office: Los Alamos, NM
What is your internship for at Merrick? Mechanical Equipment with Nuclear Services & Technology
Why did you want to intern at Merrick? I was impressed by the variety and impact of the projects that Merrick is working on and I wanted to be a part of it.
Tell us about your proudest accomplishment. My proudest accomplishment would be having a daughter, born May 1 this year.

 

Name: William Earnest
From: Houston, TX
University: University of Texas at San Antonio
Studying (Major): Electrical Engineering
Graduating: December 2020
Merrick office: San Antonio, TX
What is your internship for at Merrick? Electrical Engineer with High Performance Facilities
Tell us about your proudest accomplishment. Receiving my three achievement medals from the Air Force for my three deployments.
What are your goals after graduation? My goals after graduation is to work in the industry, pursue my professional engineering license in the short term, and then get my masters and project manager certifications.

 

Name: Jack Lowe
From: Charlotte, NC
University: North Carolina State University
Studying (Major): Civil Engineering
Graduating: Fall 2021
Merrick office: Charlotte, NC
What is your internship for at Merrick? Civil Land Development Engineering Intern
Tell us about your proudest accomplishment. Winning the College Rugby 7’s National Championship in Tucson, AZ in Spring 2019
What’s the best part about working at Merrick so far? The best part about working for Merrick so far is getting involved in all aspects of projects. I’ve been learning how to grade and use software like HydroCAD. I always have something to work on or watch. There hasn’t been a day where I felt I haven’t contributed something useful to a project.

 

Name: Sarah Park
From: Chattanooga, TN
University: University of Tennessee at Chattanooga
Studying (Major): Mechanical Engineering
Graduating: Spring 2021
Merrick office: Chattanooga, TN
What is your internship for at Merrick? Mechanical/I&C Engineering
What does your typical work day look like? I have the flexibility to work from home or from the office but wherever I am, I am always looking for opportunities to learn. Lately, I’ve been working on redlines for drawings and honing my AutoCAD skills.
What’s the best part about working at Merrick so far? I like the company’s transparency and the employee-owner mentality. Everyone I’ve met is so nice and encouraging and willing to help me understand and learn. They also sent me cookies through the mail in my internship welcome package—yum.

 

Name: Calvin Parkin
From: Broomfield, CO
University: Montana State University
Studying (Major): Civil Engineering
Graduating: December 2020
Merrick office: Greenwood Village, CO
What is your internship for at Merrick? Land Development
What are your goals after graduation? After graduation, my main goal is to find a company to work for that I feel a strong professional and personal connection with. I am also planning to go on a trip to either Scandinavia or Patagonia before I begin work. Pandemic permitting, of course.
Why did you want to intern at Merrick? To get a professional introduction to the design process and to learn and grow with an engineering team.

 

Name: Miranda Schiffbauer
From: Arvada, CO
University: Colorado School of Mines
Studying (Major): Civil Engineering
Graduating: May 2021 with B.S, Dececember 2021 with M.S
Merrick office: Greenwood Village, CO
What is your internship for at Merrick? Structural Engineering with Nuclear Services & Technology
Why did you want to intern at Merrick? I wanted to gain experience in engineering that can’t be taught in school. The diverse markets at Merrick interested me, and after reading more about the company it seemed like a great fit for me to learn from knowledgeable professionals and gain a better understanding of how engineering companies operate.
Tell us about your proudest accomplishment. My proudest accomplishment is my 4.0 GPA at School of Mines. To me it not only shows the hard work I’ve put into my college education, but it also represents my investment in my future career goals. It also reminds me that having a balance in life is key to success, because I feel I have earned my grades without having to sacrifice other things I enjoy doing.

 

Name: Peyton Smith
From: Commerce City, CO
University: University of Wyoming
Studying (Major): Architectural Engineering
Graduating: 2021
Merrick office: Greenwood Village, CO
What is your internship for at Merrick? Electrical Systems for High Performance Facilities
What’s the best part about working at Merrick so far? The best part about working at Merrick so far is being able to jump into the projects and become involved so quickly!
What are your goals after graduation? After graduation I hope to continue on and get my masters. From there I would love to get a job either doing mechanical system or electrical system design for non-residential buildings. I would also like to go on a road trip to visit all the National Parks.

 

Name: Vanessa Sotelo
From: San Antonio, TX
University: University of Texas at San Antonio
Studying (Major): Architecture
Graduating: May 2022
Merrick office: San Antonio, TX
What is your internship for at Merrick? Architectural Intern
What’s the best part about working at Merrick so far? Being a part of a larger team that is very attentive, kind, diligent, communicative, and helpful.

 

 

Name: Andy Starr
From: Grew up in Centennial, CO
University: University of Colorado Boulder
Studying (Major): Double major in mechanical engineering and applied math
Graduating: May 2021
Merrick office: Greenwood Village, CO
What is your internship for at Merrick? Mechanical Engineering
Tell us about your proudest accomplishment. I feel it would be most fitting to describe my proudest accomplishment related to engineering since that’s what I’m at Merrick to do. When I was 18 I earned my expert certification in SolidWorks, another solid modelling program, at the time being one of less than 10 high schoolers to have earned it, and one of fewer than 3,000 in the world.
What does your typical work day look like? Since I’ve been working from home, I wake up and hop directly on my computer. My current project is to get approximate models for many of the ancillary instruments used in current project, so I either look at existing models and verify they’re correct or build new ones. I work through those for most of my time, but I also dedicate some time to watching CREO tutorial videos or doing other training related to the program to grow my own skills.

 

Name: Shelby Tillema
From: Littleton, CO
University: University of Colorado Boulder
Studying (Major): Environmental Engineering
Graduating: May 2021
Merrick office: Denver, CO
What is your internship for at Merrick? Civil Water Engineering with Infrastructure
Tell us about your proudest accomplishment. This is a tough question because I generally am most proud of the things that I have done more recently. But back in high school, I started a club that crocheted plastic bags into sleeping mats for the homeless, and the school district wrote up a news piece about it. In the past few months, I have suddenly started receiving requests from reporters around the world to interview me, and when I Google myself, I find that the piece the school district wrote has been rewritten and translated into several different languages all around the world. So while I don’t understand why the story suddenly has so much traction 3 years later, or why there is so much of a focus on me when so many other groups of people in the world have been doing similar projects, it’s still pretty cool.
What’s the best part about working at Merrick so far? Working on projects that I care about and that matter.

 

Name: Taylor Van Gordon
From: Portland, OR
University: Oregon State University
Studying (Major): Civil Engineering (Meng in Construction)
Graduating: 2021
Merrick office: Greenwood Village, CO
What is your internship for at Merrick? Infrastructure
Why did you want to intern at Merrick? I really wanted to travel to a new place and Colorado seemed like a good fit. Merrick’s work was also very interesting to me, especially the whitewater work.
What does your typical work day look like? A typical day of work will have me doing anything from fixing redlines to submittal work. So far, my days have been a lot of learning and trial and error.

 

Name: Alyssa Wherry
From: Lenexa, KS
University: Kansas State University
Studying (Major): Civil Engineering
Graduating: May 2021
Merrick office: Greenwood Village, CO
What is your internship for at Merrick? Civil Water Engineering with Infrastructure
Why did you want to intern at Merrick? I heard great things about Merrick when I was researching companies, and it was the pillars of the company that really sold me. The fact that a company could care so much about their people- as well as giving back through community service and programs like Clean Water 4 Life and STEM Edge- really stood out to me as a place I could see myself. A good company culture and environment were two very important aspects in my decision of what kind of company I would want to be a part of, so I knew being at Merrick for the summer would be a great fit!
What’s the best part about working at Merrick so far? The fact that the internship program is still on shows how committed Merrick is to giving back and helping us learn! I am sure anyone will agree with this, but the people have been incredibly welcoming. Everyone I have met truly wants me to succeed and have told me that they are there if I have any questions, which is not true everywhere. It shows the great company culture that I was looking for!