A few years ago, our college recruiting team developed a unique opportunity for our summer interns, allowing them to take a deep dive into one of our market segments. In 2021, the focus was on education, of which Skip Notte is our market segment leader. At the time, Katie Dozzi was a rising senior at Virginia Tech studying civil and environmental engineering. Katie was based in our Charlotte, North Carolina, office as an intern where she now works as a full-time graduate engineer. We sat down with Skip and Katie to discuss the state of the higher education market segment, what it was like for Katie to be involved in this key market segment as an intern, and how the internship project impacted Katie’s career plans post-graduation.

What has been the state of the higher education market segment over the last few years?

Notte: It’s no surprise that the pandemic wreaked havoc on the education system. Although virtual learning faired better for higher education students than K-12, there has still been a strong push to return to campus and in-person learning. However, professors and students alike have shown an interest in the flexibility of a hybrid learning environment.    

Perhaps one of the biggest impending challenges is that the enrollment cliff is just 3-5 years away. This means the population of those entering college will significantly drop due to reduced birth rates from the financial crisis in the mid to late 2000s. Our goal is to help our higher education clients prepare for this change and do what’s necessary—from planning to infrastructure improvements and modifications—to make sure their campuses and facilities are ready for the adjustment.

From a spending perspective, we’re noticing substantial funding going towards making facilities—both new and existing—more sustainable. This has caused some items to fall under the category of deferred maintenance, leading to a backlog of projects of more than two years. Significant spending is also being allocated for staff retention, student financial aid, modernization of facilities and technology, and mental health services for students, faculty, and staff.  

With so many changes happening at a fast pace, we were thrilled to partner with our college recruiting team to develop a summer intern experience that would engage those most effected by the change in higher education: the students.

What was your experience as an intern working on this project?

Dozzi: I had the chance to collaborate with fellow interns from across the company, including those outside my office, service, and even some outside of the engineering field. My teammates included interns who represented our architecture, water, electrical engineering, and GIS practices. Our group was tasked with developing ideas around physical classroom space. We presented ideas to a few members of the company’s senior leadership team about how classrooms could be designed and furniture arranged in a way that allowed for in-person collaboration, while reducing the spread of germs and airborne contaminants.

How did your summer internship experience influence your decision to join Dewberry full time after graduation?

Dozzi: I really enjoyed this particular summer internship experience because it felt so relevant to my real life. As a higher education student trying to learn during the pandemic, I felt that the things our team discussed and the ideas we created were keenly relevant to me personally (and the rest of my fellow interns!) Now that I’m working full time, it’s been fun to have the chance to work on projects for one of our largest higher education clients and my alma mater, Virginia Tech. The summer intern project certainly had an impact on my educational experience and a positive influence on my decision to join Dewberry after graduating earlier this year. Getting to team with other interns across the company in a more collaborative environment helped create that sense of community that I was seeking in a company.

As a leader and manager, how do you see that Katie’s time as an intern helped develop her into the full-time employee she is today?

Notte: Having the opportunity to collaborate with not only other interns but also full-time staff across the enterprise allowed Katie the opportunity to see firsthand the value of working with colleagues outside the walls of a physical office. So much of the way our company operates hinges on the ability of staff to work across offices, business units, and geographies. Katie has done a tremendous job of adopting this workflow and maintaining a level of flexibility, excitement, and ownership that lends itself to growth and development.