Alejandra Maravilla was offered eight construction management positions before finishing her undergraduate degree from Lyles College of Engineering in spring 2016. A key ingredient to her success was gaining experience in the industry.

“I knew that somehow I needed to figure out how to stand out,” Maravilla said.

After completing four internships between April 2014 and May 2016 at Gilbane, Durham Construction, Teichert Construction and Bernards, Maravilla accepted a position as field engineer at Turner Construction. But, it wasn’t easy. It took four years to obtain her first internship.

“I made a stance and somehow I was able to stand out. I was so excited I couldn’t believe that finally someone believed in me,” she said.

She says each internship helped her gain skills she needed to help her prepare for a career in construction management.

At Turner, she hopes to get experience in the field and get a better understanding of how everything operates.

“My short-term goal is to become a project manager and my long-term goal is to become CEO," she said. "I am also considering going back to school for a master's in geotechnical engineering so I can become a consultant.”

Early on, Maravilla was inspired by the shop classes she took at Madera South High and a female civil engineer who came and spoke to her Upward Bound class.

But her parents were her true inspiration.

"We were a single-income household because my father has been disabled since the age of 24," she said. "My father and mother have taught me that nothing is impossible unless you decide to give up. They have overcome every personal obstacle that has been presented to them."

She was just 24-units shy of completing her degree in civil engineering from Lyles College when she decided to drop it and finish a construction management degree with a minor in business.

“I got to the point of where I knew I loved the theory and the fundamentals of engineering but I did not see myself designing,” Maravilla said.

Although there were personal struggles and setbacks, she continued to stay dedicated to her degree. She was also active in Fresno State student organizations, serving as president of the student Association of General Contractors (AGC) and a member of Students in Construction (SIC). She also worked as a student assistant for the Instructional Technology and Resource Center and a project engineer intern with Bernards.

As the first in her family to graduate from a university, she hopes to inspire her siblings and help her parents as best she can.

“My family is my motivation,” she said. "My little sister is the next one to attend Fresno State and, if needed, I plan to help her financially so she does not have to work full-time to cover her expenses. I consider myself as my family’s backbone and being able to continue being that person they can count on is important to me.”

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