Leslie Avila is a Senior Construction Science student interning with The Beck Group in Dallas. Avila works closely with the superintendent on the floor on punch list items and scheduling.
Avila has learned a variety of skills during her internship, including confidence and leadership.
“I hope to have gained self-confidence in asking for what is required and needed. At times it’s nerve-wracking being the youngest one on site and having to give tasks to older people.”
– Leslie Avila
North Lobby at the Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, TX
At Gibbs College of Architecture, Avila says everything she learns in classes can be applied to the workforce when she graduates.
“Everything I have learned in school I have applied to my internship, which helps me see that I need to focus the best I can in school so I can connect the dots when I graduate.”
Avila says her favorite part of the program is the ability to work with people and think critically.
“Working together as a whole gets the job done,” she said.
“What I like most is the ability of working with people. I love the critical thinking that is required on the job site.”
Avila has worked on many projects during her time at Gibbs College of Architecture, but her favorite is called “Bid Day.”
“This acts as a real life scenario of what you would need to do during a Bid Day. This showed us all of the work that actual goes into winning a project.”
Mosaic art made in Italy before being cut into parts for shipping then made on-site.
For incoming students, she says going to the career fair and visiting professors during their office hours is the best advice she can give.
“Go to the career fairs as early as possible. You learn so much from internships and it makes you more marketable once you graduate. Also, go to office hours. Professors are more than willing to help when you ask for it.”
Photos provided by Leslie Avila
During the Spring 2026 semester, students in Interior Design Studio IV and Graduate Studio IV gained hands-on experience in educational facility design through a semester-long partnership with MA+ Architecture.
The Christopher C. Gibbs College of Architecture congratulates Dr. Tammy McCuen, Robert E. Busch Professor of Construction Science, on beginning her term as president of the Associated Schools of Construction (ASC), an international organization dedicated to advancing construction education through teaching, research and service.
Following years of contributions to the College’s research and strategic initiatives, Gibbs College shares that Associate Dean for Research and External Engagement Angela M. Person, PhD, will step down from her position at Gibbs College as she moves to Tucson with her family, effective June 30, 2026.
