Former Advancing Minorities in Engineering (AMIE) intern, Oluwaferanmi Olulana, was writing his last paper for the last project required to complete his undergraduate degree in civil engineering when I contacted him to inquire about his aspirations after his Far East District internship.
“The FED internship was one of the biggest moments in my life because it allowed me to travel to another country and really see the things I’d studied in action,” he said. Oluwaferanmi participated in the AMIE program at Morgan State University as a volunteer. He was taken aback when his counselor suggested that he apply for the internship, but the experience allowed him to feed his curiosity for how buildings are built and to visit a few Korean tourist attractions and landmarks as well.
“My interest in engineering stems from my wanting to know every single detail about the way things work. I remember taking apart one of my toy cars when I was younger, just to see how it actually functioned. Then when my parents built their home, I was even more intrigued by the way all the moving parts came together. Ultimately, that process pushed my interest in engineering.”
Mr. Olulana explained that his Far East District experience helped him to narrow down his career choices after working through several of the varied areas of construction. His goal is to ultimately work in construction management. He will graduate from Morgan State University this December.
“I had no idea that I’d ever end up in South Korea, but the opportunity has enriched my life and my career decisions. After experiencing construction management in action, I knew that was what I wanted to do, and I don’t know that I could have gotten this opportunity anywhere else.”
The Far East District will begin accepting applications for this year’s AMIE internship via USA Jobs in January.
You may learn more about the FED’s AMIE program here:
https://youtu.be/dQIoKUVleTg