Who did you meet with today?

Today we met with Scott Thomas, who works in financing. Thomas works as a project finance coordinator.

Where do they work? What does the company do?

Thomas works in Blueprint. Blueprint is a development firm that helps schools with most aspects of their projects.

What did you learn today? What were some highlights?

Today I learned what a contingency is, which is a safety valve just incase anything unexpected comes up in the project. A highlight was when we got to see the spreadsheet of the budget; it was nice getting to see a real project’s budget and the process. Another highlight I would like to mention was when my peers and I asked Thomas questions; it was really insightful and even let us get a preview into who we would meet next.

What are you looking forward to most during the internship?

During the internship I am now looking most forward to meeting with Blueprint’s lawyer and the other lawyer we will get to meet with.

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

In the field of real estate development, I gained insights such as what struggles the project finance coordinator faces while communicating with the school. I also received insight into how the finance project coordinator tracks the budget and the different factors that allow the school to stay within their budget affordably.

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

After today, what I find most interesting about the field is how the project finance coordinator ultimately works as the middleman between the loaners and the school and how they play a key role in allowing the school to meet their financial goal to finish their project.

Photos: Jose Burgos Arroyo, Spring Intern