Florida Tech Scholar-Athlete Spotlight Recognizes Soccer Player Ashley Babiarz

Babiarz is an intern with this Summer was JP Donovan Construction

BREVARD COUNTY • MELBOURNE, FLORIDA – In this Scholar-Athlete Spotlight, we are featuring Florida Tech women’s soccer player Ashley Babiarz. This summer, the Bayonet Point, Florida. native is gaining meaningful experience at an internship in her desired field. We caught up with Babiarz to learn more about the incredible opportunity.

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

The Company I interned with this Summer was JP Donovan Construction. My title for the role was Assistant Construction Project Engineer.

■ What drew you to this internship?

The company was a small company where everyone knew each employee by name and the owner of the company worked alongside all the engineers. I was able to learn alongside a handful of engineers and get a lot of hands-on work.

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

I was able to assist in projects for launchpads out in California and modifications to the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station that are going to benefit the Artemis 2 launch. I was able to participate in the testing of the systems NASA and JP Donovan Construction designed together.

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

It gave me an insight into what really goes on behind the scenes when it comes to getting rocket ships up into space. I understand why everything must be perfect because of how expensive a simple mistake can be.

■ 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?

My major at Florida Tech is Aeronautical Sciences with a minor in Aviation Safety. Although I interned with an aerospace engineering company there was more overlap between aerospace and aviation than I expected.

■ 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 are helping you throughout your internship?

Some of the engineers that worked there were student-athletes themselves and they were able to be disciplined enough to get the work done and ask for help when necessary. It shows as athletes we ask for help in our performance the engineers in the company asked for help when it came to any issues they were having or if something was unclear.

■ What skills did you acquire at the internship that you plan to bring back to help lead the women’s soccer team?

I was able to develop better communication skills that I can bring back to the team and be able to get things done on and off the field.

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

Keep your options open always, and always keep in contact with people. You never know who you are going to meet and how beneficial these people can be if you need a good word.

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