For Melayna Marshman, an interest in civil engineering started close to home. Her dad worked in construction, and she grew up around remodeling projects and home designs. Seeing that work firsthand sparked her curiosity about how things are planned and built. As she explored college programs, civil engineering stood out as a way to take that interest further. Today, as a civil engineering student at Minnesota State University – Mankato, Melayna is building her skills through a Bollig Engineering internship. Her experience includes visiting project sites, learning from experienced teammates, and discovering the kind of work she wants to do. Just as importantly, she’s doing it with a team that supports her education.
Finding a Connection to Small Communities
Melayna first heard about Bollig through her classmate Maverick, who shared his experience working with the company. But one part of Bollig’s work especially caught her attention: its focus on small cities. Having grown up around small towns and communities, she felt a connection to the people these projects serve. For Melayna, infrastructure work isn’t just an assignment on a screen. It’s work that helps communities like the ones she knows. That sense of purpose helped her see Bollig as a place where she could develop her engineering skills while contributing to something meaningful.
Seeing Engineering From a Different Perspective
Melayna enjoys design work, but her internship has reinforced how valuable it is to see construction in person. A drawing can show dimensions and materials. A project site reveals the scale of the work, how the pieces fit together, and the conditions crews encounter along the way. “Getting out in the field and seeing it’s very much different than drawing it up on a computer,” Melayna pointed out. During site visits, she has observed water main installation and other construction activity, gaining a closer look at infrastructure that many people rarely see. Those experiences give her more context for what she studies. They also create opportunities to ask questions and explore different interests within civil engineering.
Having People to Ask, and Room to Learn
For a student entering the workplace, knowing who to go to, to ask questions, can make a big difference. Melayna appreciates having multiple people she can contact for guidance or additional work. She describes teammates who check in, communicate, and help her find opportunities that align with her interests. That support makes her internship feel like an ongoing learning experience rather than simply a summer assignment. She noticed, “They want you to learn as much as you can.” Her experience has also helped her recognize what she values in a workplace: approachable people, opportunities to explore, and a team willing to listen.
Building Leadership Through ASCE and Concrete Canoe
Melayna’s learning extends beyond her internship. As President of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student chapter at Minnesota State University, Mankato, Melayna has learned that leadership means helping others feel comfortable contributing. Her experience has shown her that classmates often have valuable ideas but may need encouragement to speak up. She explained, “It’s taught me so much about leadership skills and it’s really taught me that people have great ideas and they’re really willing to share that. They just sometimes need a bigger voice to help.” That lesson is helping her build communication and teamwork skills she can carry into her engineering career.
Through the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) student chapter at Minnesota State University, Mankato, she has gained student leadership experience and helped bring back the university’s Concrete Canoe team after several years away. The team faced unfamiliar construction challenges and worked together toward a clear goal: getting its concrete canoe ready for competition. “It was really fun and we enjoyed it and our canoe did end up floating at the end of it.” When the team needed transportation to the competition at the University of Minnesota in the Twin Cities, Bollig helped by providing a work truck and enclosed trailer. The experience brought together technical learning, teamwork, and connections with students from other schools. Her student leadership experience also taught Melayna to recognize ideas that might otherwise go unheard and help classmates feel comfortable contributing. Learn more about the Concrete Canoe Competition from Melayna and Maverick in this video.
An Internship That Supports Her Education
Balancing college and professional experience takes communication. Melayna appreciates that her team recognizes school as a priority, including when she needs time to prepare for an exam. When asked what it’s like balancing schoolwork with her part-time internship during the school year, she said, “They’re super flexible. They obviously want you to put school first, which is a huge priority to me and I really appreciate that they put that as a priority as well.” For Melayna, that combination of flexibility and hands-on learning has made her internship especially valuable. She can continue building professional experience while staying focused on her degree. Hear more from Melayna and her story in the video below.
Explore Your Next Step
Looking for a civil engineering internship where you can explore your interests and contribute to small-community projects? Explore Bollig Engineering’s career opportunities.
Bollig also supports future infrastructure professionals through its Small Communities Scholarship. Students pursuing civil engineering or related fields who live in or attend college in Minnesota, North Dakota, or South Dakota can review scholarship eligibility and application details.
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