CIM Student Profile

Lauren Rose

School: New Jersey Institute of Technology

Class: Senior

Expected Date of Graduation: December 2017

“The CIM program is so unique compared to programs in other colleges. The students of CIM are constantly afforded opportunities to network with professionals and gain first-hand experience in the industry.”

What school are you currently attending and when is your intended graduation date?

I am an undergraduate senior majoring in architecture and Concrete Industry Management, Engineering Technology with a minor in business. I plan to graduate in December, 2017.

What made you decide to join the CIM program?

When I first started at NJIT, I was a student studying just architecture. During my second year, I knew that while I was very passionate about design and buildings, I wasn’t getting the hands-on exposure I really wanted. My sorority sister, Erica Johnson, who was already involved in the CIM program, encouraged me to join the CIM program. I wasn’t sure at first how studying a material in college would help me further my connections and studies, but I haven’t regretted a moment.

Did you participate in any internships during your time at NJIT?

I have been fortunate enough to have three different internships at two companies. After my first semester in the CIM program, I had an internship at Hyde Precast, a small concrete company in Maryland. The following December, I presented at the annual Patron’s meeting at NJIT about the concrete bookshelf I designed and made while at Hyde Concrete during my summer internship. After the presentation, the president of High Concrete gave me his business card and told me to look into High for a future internship. That summer I worked at High in the quality control department. They asked me to stay with them during the year to do some work remotely. The following summer I worked at High again in the project management department. Before I left my internship, High Concrete offered me a full time job upon graduation. After I graduate this December, I will be joining the engineering department design team.

How has CIM prepared you for working in the concrete industry?

The CIM program is so unique compared to programs in other colleges. The students of CIM are constantly afforded opportunities to network with professionals and gain first-hand experience in the industry. I’ve had the privilege of traveling across the country with my peers, working on national competitions and speaking at major conferences.

What is something you’ve learned from the program that will stick with you long after you’ve graduated?

It’s okay to fail. Concrete fails every day — which is why we test it. We test methods, we test results and we test strengths. We do this to reassure that projects will be structurally sound and to ensure the quality of our concrete. There is so much to learn and understand about concrete and construction. We shouldn’t be afraid of failure, because it helps us aim toward success and teaches us more about our process. We should strive to learn as much as we can all the time, pushing the boundaries of our knowledge and striving for success in order to achieve more.