Blueprint Fall Interns Learn about the Due Diligence Process

Blueprint

Expanding educational opportunities for students in under-resourced communities

Learning About Due Diligence

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Who did you meet with today?

Today we met Mary Grace Houlihan who graduated from UC Berkeley and studied geology there.  She loves travelling and the outdoors. She enjoys working with Blueprint and working to create positive learning environments that improve education. She has a lot of experience as she has worked for land developers and worked 17 years in local government. Mary Grace is registered as a Civil Engineer and Land Surveyor in the State of California.

Where do they work? What does the company do?

Mary Grace works for Blueprint as a Project Director. Blueprint is a full-service nonprofit real estate development firm. This company partners up with charter schools to either build a new school or remodel an existing one giving many kids an opportunity to have a better education.

What did you learn today? What were some highlights?

I learned that there are many requirements to developing a property including compliance with CEQA guidelines and local codes, which I didn’t know before today. Another thing I learned was that Agency Permitting can take pretty long. Some highlights of today were that if you want to build in a community, one of the best ways is to go talk to neighbors and businesses in person.

What insights did you gain into the field of real estate development?

Some insight that I gained into the field of real estate development is that not everything goes as planned because of one of the questions asked to Mary Grace was, “Have you ever had a bad experience while doing your job?” She responded by saying that many years ago there was a lot of controversy with a project since they were making too many houses and the community voted against it.

What did you find the most interesting about the real estate field after today?

The thing that surprised me about real estate after today was that you need to have a good connection with the community. For example, if they don’t really agree with the project, they can bring up their issues. And that was really interesting to me. Now I know that you should build support from the community by reaching out to groups that are involved in that area.

A screenshot of a virtual meeting with six participants—some smiling on camera, others showing profile pictures. Two backgrounds display the word “Blueprint,” highlighting a collaborative learning environment and focus on the due diligence process.

Learning About Due Diligence

October 28, 2025

By Alexis Melgar, Fall Intern

Who did you meet with today?

Today we met Mary Grace Houlihan who graduated from UC Berkeley and studied geology there.  She loves travelling and the outdoors. She enjoys working with Blueprint and working to create positive learning environments that improve education. She has a lot of experience as she has worked for land developers and worked 17 years in local government. Mary Grace is registered as a Civil Engineer and Land Surveyor in the State of California.

Where do they work? What does the company do?

Mary Grace works for Blueprint as a Project Director. Blueprint is a full-service nonprofit real estate development firm. This company partners up with charter schools to either build a new school or remodel an existing one giving many kids an opportunity to have a better education.

What did you learn today? What were some highlights?

I learned that there are many requirements to developing a property including compliance with CEQA guidelines and local codes, which I didn't know before today. Another thing I learned was that Agency Permitting can take pretty long. Some highlights of today were that if you want to build in a community, one of the best ways is to go talk to neighbors and businesses in person.

What insights did you gain into the field of real estate development?

Some insight that I gained into the field of real estate development is that not everything goes as planned because of one of the questions asked to Mary Grace was, “Have you ever had a bad experience while doing your job?” She responded by saying that many years ago there was a lot of controversy with a project since they were making too many houses and the community voted against it.

What did you find the most interesting about the real estate field after today?

The thing that surprised me about real estate after today was that you need to have a good connection with the community. For example, if they don't really agree with the project, they can bring up their issues. And that was really interesting to me. Now I know that you should build support from the community by reaching out to groups that are involved in that area.

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