INVESTING IN THE FUTURE WORKFORCE
love of teamwork and the chance to help out on a construction site for a family friend that led him to switch his career path to the construction industry. “I played basketball for schools and
local leagues, and I love being part of a team,” Chen said. “Te amount of diverse teamwork and tangible outcome excite me. It lit the candles inside of me. After two years of studying and working, I have become more certain than ever that this is the best career for me. I’m currently pursuing experience for becoming a tech-integrated construction manager who can not only take care of the plans but also take care of his people and clients.” As President of the AGC San
Jose State University (SJSU) Student Chapter, Chen helped revive and grow the chapter at an unprecedented rate. “We grew from 0 to 150 (partici- pants) in one semester, and it is still growing,” he said. “I’m thankful for the opportunity to be the president of this amazing chapter at SJSU, because I get to bring all the talents together to build the best culture and platform at the same time for future students. Te more valuable events, connections, meetings, etc. that we can deliver to our students, they will be able to define their dream sooner.” Chen said the number one highlight
of his time with the SJSU chapter – and his college career – was the Associated Schools of Construction competition they participated in. “It helped me to know all the great players out there and understand the possibilities in this industry,” he said. “SJSU never had a competitive team, but we did get the closest estimation in the Heavy Civil Competition. Te amount of confidence and vision I received from the coaching, interviewers, and event coordinators are priceless.” So where does he see himself in five
to 10 years? “I will become a project manager who masters LEED, BIM/ VDC, marketing, and field-work,” Chen said. “As a student, I have already spent two years carrying concrete bags, cutting drywall, building frames, and so
www.AGC-CA.org
“Your networking opens up substantially by being part of AGC. You meet people from different companies and make connections that I’ve actually used on my projects.” – Moises Pena
on. Tis year, I’m learning VDC, and I just built my own Revit plug-ins and four complete 3D models. My passion of becoming excellent is really to be able to help and inspire others who come later into this industry.”
Moises Pena—CSU Long Beach It has been nine years since Moises
Pena was a student at Cal State University Long Beach, where he played a pivotal role in restarting the AGC Student Chapter and served as chapter president. But even though that was some time and several professional career advancements ago, Pena said it remains some of his best memories from school and the source of many lasting friendships. In fact, he even started dating his wife, a fellow civil engineering student, during his time
with the AGC Student Chapter. A career in construction was an easy
choice for Pena, who grew up around the industry; his dad was a laborer and step dad who was a concrete finisher, among other family members in the trades. Pena also grew up as a natural
leader. So when his professors mentioned that AGC was looking to restart their student chapter at CSU Long Beach, Pena stepped up. “I was always involved with student activities on campus and kind of knew how it worked starting new student organiza- tions there,” he said. Pena doubled the involvement from a dozen students to about 25 by the second semester, and they learned a lot by attending AGC conferences, meetings, social functions, golf tournaments, and much more. Pena credits AGC “100 percent”
for helping him get his foot in the door at longtime AGC member Herzog Contracting and is grateful for AGC’s connection to a company that is enabling him to build a career that he is passionate about. Over the last few years, he progressed through different roles on several rail and transpor- tation projects on the MTS Blue Line Extension, working out of Herzog’s San Diego office. He is now transitioning to work on the High-Speed Rail segment from Victorville, CA to Las Vegas, NV. Although his busy work calendar
prevents him from being as involved in AGC groups like the Emerging Leaders as he would eventually like to be, Pena said he gets plenty of value from the informational updates, bulletins and other communications from AGC that help him keep up to date with legislative and regulatory issues impacting the industry. “I look forward to getting more
involved again in the future,” Pena said. “Your networking opens up substan- tially by being part of AGC. You meet people from different companies and make connections that I’ve actually used on my projects. Getting involved was a really great experience that I’m really grateful for.”
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