August 14, 2025

MCA’s Intern Send Off: Recapping Summer 2025

It’s hard to believe our summer interns are wrapping up their final projects and getting ready to head back to campus. Each intern brought something unique to the team, and their contributions have left a lasting impact.

As we send them off and wish them well, let’s take a moment to reflect on their individual journeys and the experiences that will help shape their future careers.

Jaden Graham

What was your favorite part about interning with MCA?

My favorite part about interning with MCA was shadowing different engineers and inspectors and being able to take something valuable from each person I worked with.

What was your favorite project that you worked on?

My favorite project that I worked on was the Water Master Meter at Hamilton Avenue & Tuxedo Street because I was involved from start to finish. From reviewing plans and understanding the layout to being on-site during the pipe installations, I learned how critical utility coordination, safety planning, and proper sequencing are in underground infrastructure work.

What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned throughout your internship?

The greatest lesson I’ve learned throughout my internship is the importance of communication and coordination between teams in the field and those in the office.

Chris Niemenski

What was your favorite part about interning with MCA?

My favorite part about working with MCA was the endless amount of knowledge and skill I gained while being treated like an engineer.

What was your favorite project that you worked on?

My favorite project was the Service Line Replacement on Tennyson Street. I remained on it for the longest time and gained the most wisdom and responsibility from it.

What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned throughout your internship?

The greatest lesson I learned throughout the internship is how to think and act like a civil engineer. This lesson will allow me to understand the intricacies of working on and around a job.

I also learned new software from my colleagues, such as Revit and AutoCAD, both of which are extremely useful for civil engineering. Overall, MCA provided me with the best internship experience a student such as myself could ask for.

Yusef Muhammad

What was your favorite part about interning with MCA?

One of my favorite parts of interning with MCA this summer was seeing so many different projects in motion and watching how much progress can happen in just a short time. I enjoyed seeing the before-and-after transformation of certain sites.

For example, I watched the whole process of installing new water meter vaults, from excavating large sections of the street and sidewalk to putting in the vaults and fully restoring the area. It was cool to see how everything came together and how clean and finished the site looked by the end.

What was your favorite project that you worked on?

My favorite project I worked on was cutting and capping the water and sewer lines for houses that were scheduled for demolition. This project stood out to me because I got to learn the process firsthand and gained a solid understanding of how it’s done.

I also appreciated the level of responsibility I was given; the crews we worked with would ask me what needed to be done, and I could communicate the steps clearly and help complete the work. It was a great experience that helped build my knowledge and confidence in the field.

What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned throughout your internship?

The greatest lesson I learned during my internship is the importance of strong communication skills in this field. Clear, timely communication makes everything run more smoothly on-site. I also realized that there’s always more to learn, no matter how long someone has been in the industry. Each project brings new challenges and opportunities to grow.

Kameron Radatz

What was your favorite part about interning with MCA?

My favorite part has to be the different places I’ve gone. From the inner city of Detroit to Romulus, getting out and seeing more than just my hometown has been nice.

What was your favorite project that you worked on?

The Ford Hub core drilling project was my favorite. It was one of the first jobs I was involved with, and it was huge!

What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned throughout your internship?

Repetition is key. The more you do an activity, the better you get at it. I could barely do concrete testing in 20 minutes when I started, but now I can complete it in under 15 minutes.