Not every career in construction starts with a construction degree. For three Kent interns, their path into the industry came from entirely different fields of study. Safety Intern Simon Wilke is pursuing degrees in Accounting and Spanish, Kent Concrete Intern Alex Robles is studying Applied Mathematics and Spanish, and Marketing Intern Michelle VanWeelde is pursuing Business Administration and English. None of them expected construction to be part of their career journey, but all found opportunities to apply their strengths in ways they hadn't imagined.
Three Paths to Construction
Wilke’s Kent story began four years ago in the field, as a summer laborer in West Michigan. As a student exploring career options, he believed accounting was the right fit and spent the next summer interning with Kent’s Accounting team. After that, rather than losing a talented team member, Kent helped him explore another opportunity in Safety. "It was really cool talking to National Safety Director Manny Rodriguez about this opportunity and learning what I could do," said Wilke. This summer he’s calling Texas home and supporting our safety team at a data center outside Dallas-Fort Worth. "Now I can approach the jobsite with three different perspectives: the field, the office, and safety."
Robles followed a similarly unconventional path. After gaining field experience, he connected with leaders in the West Michigan Concrete division who recognized an opportunity to put his mathematical background to work. Today, he helps analyze productivity data and identify trends that support project execution and decision-making.
"Kent has supported me 100%," Robles said. "I'm thankful for how they worked with me to create this internship. Everyone here is ambitious, so there's a lot of opportunities for personal and company growth."
VanWeelde had previous marketing experience with a nonprofit but was looking for a chance to develop her skills in a different setting. Since joining Kent, she’s found the fast and ambitious culture as a perfect fit. This summer she’s supporting marketing and sales initiatives, managing content, developing campaigns, and writing internal communications.
“I never thought I would work in construction,” VanWeelde shared. “But, I’ve grown a lot since starting. I get to be part of conversations about strategy and hear how the work I’m doing is supporting teams all over the country. It’s really rewarding.”
The Roles Behind the Build
Their stories are a reminder that behind every successful project are people solving problems, analyzing data, managing risk, supporting operations, and finding new ways to improve performance. That's why internships shouldn't be one-size-fits-all.
At Kent, we're committed to creating opportunities for students who bring curiosity and a willingness to learn, regardless of what they're studying in the classroom. Curious how your talents match? Check out current opportunities.
