On July 30, National Intern Day, our Inclusion & Belonging Committee hosted a session, From Interns to Leaders: Where Experience Meets Fresh Perspective, exploring the impact of internship programs and the power of generations working together. Why host this event? At Colliers Engineering & Design, we know that every individual offers unique perspective and skills, and we know the internship program is most effective when folks at every level understand its value.
The Value of Interns
Senior Manager of Learning & Development Kathleen Pearson kicked things off by introducing Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist Luke Seyfert. He has overseen the internship program for the past four years and has worked with our interns every step of the way from meeting them on campus, interviewing, hiring, onboarding, program management, offboarding, next-steps and conversions. Opening a recent session, he began with an overview of our internship program, including what it looks like today, how to get involved as a manager, its value to our teams, and how it supports growth and innovation across the organization.
He explained, “A strong internship experience is a win-win for both the intern and our firm. Interns receive valuable on the job training in the discipline of their choice, and our full-time employees receive mentorship opportunities, extra help, and renewed energy from our intern colleagues. Interns represent the future of our firm. Today’s interns are tomorrow’s Rising Stars, Project Managers, and Seller-Doers.”
Then, Josh Repp, Regional Discipline Leader | Water, who offers a manager’s perspective, gave a short presentation on the value of our internship program to our current employees and how to make an impact on the interns. He expressed, “The best measure of managing interns is not what they accomplish during the internship program, but what they take with them afterward.”
A Panel of Experience
At Colliers Engineering & Design, many of our colleagues started with the firm as interns. To highlight some different perspectives on this, the session also included a panel discussion featuring a manager, current intern, and employees who began their careers as interns—offering real insights on development, mentorship, and career progression.
It was moderated by Jaqueline Fernandez, Senior Planner, who was a main organizer of this event, and who has seen firsthand the value of intentional internships. She shared, “Internships bridge the gap between academic learning and real-world application. When I started out as an intern at CED, I was able to join a variety of ongoing projects and get a sense of what in meant to be a planner on the day-to-day. The relationships I made and the skills I learned during my time as an intern were invaluable. The experience helped me decide that this was the field I wanted to be in.”
IT Director Matthew Edelhauser joined the panel to share his perspective as a former intern who turned an internship into a 26-year career with the company, growing into a leadership role along the way. He said, “I started here as an IT intern 26 years ago, and that opportunity turned into a career I genuinely enjoy. The internship gave me a foot in the door, but staying curious, asking questions, and looking for ways to help open other doors along the way. It’s a great reminder that an internship can be much more than a summer job. It can be the start of a rewarding career.”
As a current manager, he also had great advice: “Giving interns a broad perspective helps them discover career paths they may not have considered and leaves them with a much better understanding of how everything works together as a whole. To me, that’s what turns a good internship into a great one.”
Current Highways & Traffic Engineering Intern Emani Williams also had some great perspectives. He said, “It’s hard to find an internship experience where the people around you care about you learning and really understanding the work being done. And it can be really intimidating to put yourself out there as an intern and take on a new experience. I want to thank all the managers and teams I worked with for being so willing to help me learn, and for promoting the future of our field.”
Further, he shared how his internship taught him real-world skills. “Coming in, I didn’t know much about how to use CAD software or roadwork design. I was very nervous about that. But because of all my team members’ help, I’ve been able to transition very well into doing roadwork design and using ORD (Open Roads Designer).”
Matthew Gatta, Designer II | Architecture, offered his perspective as someone who started as a summer intern, returned for a second internship, and then transitioned directly into a full-time role here. “Having experienced both sides of the internship program, I can speak to how meaningful work, mentorship, and a supportive team environment can help turn an internship into a long-term career,” he shared. “Investing in meaningful internships provides an opportunity to develop future employees who are already connected to the culture, familiar with the work, and prepared to contribute from day one.”
Join Us!
Interested in starting your career at Colliers Engineering & Design as an intern? Applications just opened for next summer and are available through December! Learn more here: Colliers Engineering & Design Internships and Campus Recruiting.