My Summer Experience: Jessica Anguiano

My Summer Experience
Jessica Anguiano
Construction Management and Technology
Co-Op at Marathon Petroleum Company 

I knew I wanted a career in construction after taking two years of carpentry in high school and loving it. I chose Construction Management and Technology because I learned that with a bachelor's degree in that field, I could be a project manager, a superintendent or an estimator, and I could see myself being any of the three.

With the help of the co-op office and Place Pro, I found my second co-op with Marathon Petroleum Company (MPC) in Findlay as a Project Controls Intern. I chose MPC for a co-op after reading the company and job description. It said the co-ops are given challenging assignments of increasing complexity and scope; the intern would develop schedules and also learn the Marathon Project Management Process.

The Marathon Project Management Process is used from the beginning of the project to the end. I learned, prepared and updated the schedules, which are used to keep track of each project. From day one I was given a mentor who is a Project Control Specialist. She would help me anytime I needed her and she also would meet with me to discuss her roles in the company. My favorite part of the co-op was traveling. I had a chance to visit an MPC Terminal in Lima where their product is stored, an MPC Refinery in Canton where the products are made, and other MPC locations.

Before working at MPC I didn't know anything about the company, nor did I know that I could possibly be hired into this company as a Project Control Specialist with degree in Construction Management and Technology. From my summer co-op with MPC I learned the roles of a Project Control Specialist, which allowed me to see if it's something I would like to be in the future. I also learned about the company, which allowed me to see if it's a company I would like to work for, and I gained valuable experience that I cannot get from college alone. Overall it was a great experience, one that I won't ever forget. The experience I gained here I can definitely take with me anywhere I end up in the future.