Florida Tech Scholar-Athlete Spotlight Recognizes Softball Player Mikayla Lewin

Lewin is majoring in civil engineering

Scholar-Athlete Spotlight – Softball player Mikayla Lewin: Being a scholar-athlete at Florida Tech takes an incredible amount of hard work and dedication to excel both in the classroom and on the field. (Florida Tech image)

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – Being a scholar-athlete at Florida Tech takes an incredible amount of hard work and dedication to excel both in the classroom and on the field.

In this Scholar-Athlete Spotlight, we are featuring Florida Tech softball player Mikayla Lewin.

This summer, the Lower Hutt, New Zealand native gained meaningful experience as a Project Engineer Intern with Whiting-Turner Contracting.

We caught up with Lewin to learn more about the incredible opportunity.

What company are you interning for this summer? What was your title and role with the company?

I am working for the Whiting-Turner Contracting Company as a Project Engineer Intern on their Bonnet Creek site in Orlando.

What drew you to this internship?

This opportunity actually came out of a career fair held at FIT in Fall 2021. A classmate recommended going, and I found that being able to talk to employers in person was really valuable and kind of acted like an on-the-spot interview.

What are some exciting tasks that you have been able to be a part of?

I was glad to take on a lot of responsibility during my time as an intern. This included developing and maintaining the steel production curve, conducting QC’s, document control, and managing the site’s fence subcontractor.

One of my main responsibilities was setting up the production curve and successfully navigating through phase 1 of steel erection.

This curve was used to track production and keep owners updated, as well as to keep the subcontractors accountable. I enjoyed this task because it contributed greatly to the overall project and is to be used after I’m gone to track phase 2 & 3 of the project.

How is your internship preparing you for a career you would like to do after graduation?

Before this internship, I was unsure of whether I wanted to pursue a career in engineering management or design engineering.

This experience has helped cement my desire to work with people and out on the site, where I am able to see these large-scale projects come to life.

Hands-on experience in this field is priceless and I look forward to having the opportunity to work as a project engineer following graduation.

What is your major at Florida Tech? Why did you choose this direction for your education and is this something you always wanted to pursue?

I am currently working towards my Bachelor’s in civil engineering and am starting my Master’s in construction management in the spring.

I always had an interest in structures and large-scale projects, so I’m now gaining a background in both the design and execution of these projects.

How has being a collegiate athlete prepared you for the work you are currently doing? What traits did you take away from the playing field that is helping you throughout your internship?

Teamwork is a huge part of what I’m doing, and my experience playing softball has helped me integrate successfully into both the office and the field team.

I find it rewarding to be able to contribute to the team, and this has helped me stay productive and take on more responsibility.

What skills did you acquire at the internship that you plan to bring back to help lead the softball team?

I learned a lot about coordination, collaboration, and communication during my internship. This was between many different people and in many different settings on-site.

We have a lot of new incoming players this fall, so I really want to utilize these skills and help bring the team together both on and off the field. As this is my last season, I’m really excited to see what we can do, and I think our cohesiveness is going to be key to this.

What advice would you give another athlete/prospective athlete who is looking to pursue the path you’ve taken?

Say yes more. Say yes to attending career fairs/networking events, and say yes to stepping up as a leader in your team. The opportunities and experiences available as a scholar-athlete are endless and so valuable for any career.

Florida Tech’s Scholar-Athlete Spotlight Recognizes Softball Player Whitney EllisRelated Story:
Florida Tech’s Scholar-Athlete Spotlight Recognizes Softball Player Whitney Ellis

CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS