internships

Who did you meet with today? 

Kahlmus – Chief Operating Officer

Akil Manley – Regional Director (Southern California)

Mera Baker Ramos – General Counsel – Lawyer for Blueprint

Where do they work? What does the company do? 

Kahlmus – Blueprint – Helps manage and run Blueprint -> Blueprint helps charter schools have a good learning environment.

Akil – Blueprint – Works mainly in the southern region – Has done projects all over California. – Does charter schools – Been on the team over 10 years

Mera – Blueprint – Helps with all the legal basis – Makes sure the company gets through with the legal side of things – Problem solving – Sets up the deal in order to fulfill the duties

What did you learn today? What were some highlights? 

If its not 1+1=2, don’t touch it – Manley

Be open to your future path and don’t be stubborn believing it will be a straight one way

Talking and soft skills are important for all the fields you may partake in

Trademarks, copy rights, patents. (Helps protect businesses)

Can’t sit around and hope people open the doors for you, you want to open those doors yourself – Get your voice out there

Connect with professionals – Speak up and try getting 15 minutes of their time – Mera

Find your passions – Start with your hobbies – Advocate for yourself

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

Must have an idea of what you want to build – Has to have utility value / a sort of profit within the margins

You have to understand where and what you’re building and the why – in the sense is there a NEED for it or is it just going to sit there and look pretty. – Make sure it’ accessible for the community

Make sure you do your research and there is not any environmental issues

Avoid committing to a site too early because other better potential sites may come about

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

The process it takes in order to find the right terrain for the property and how to make the right decision (pros & cons) whether its best suited for the community or should the client take a different approach during buying the parcel and if so they ask them to extend their geographic boundaries in order to be able to make the project a little more reasonable or accessible depending on the issues with the chosen terrain by the client

Just because you CAN build doesn’t mean you SHOULD build.

📸Juan Amador, Summer Intern

Who did you meet with today?

Today we met John Sun, who is the CEO for Blueprint, and then we also met Eric Sussman, who is someone who sits on the board of directors for Blueprint.

Where do they work? What does the company do?

John Sun, who is the CEO for Blueprint, helps creates facilities for charter schools that don’t have those resources and makes sure they get fair treatment.

Eric Sussman is on the board of directors of Blueprint but is also a professor at UCLA and owns several companies.

What did you learn today? What were some highlights?

I learned the importance of sending an email correctly, reaching out for opportunities in both career and personal lives, being able to have a great relationship with the people around me both in business and personal, and being able to communicate well. Also I learned how businesses are formed but also maintained while expanding but being able to maintain the ideal and core of that business. I understand the importance of creating a network and how to create a network both using LinkedIn but also just reaching out through email for internship opportunities.

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

Some of the insights I gained from the field of real estate development are that it’s a very long process, but also takes multiple groups of people working together, like the first contracting agreements between the person buying, the developer, and landowner, the process of being able to find people that you can work with and who are trustworthy.

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

I found it interesting that we were able to have conversations with people who are successful in their professions, and also their advice on how to get into that profession. Also, I enjoyed learning about going through the process of college to internship to work, all the stages and how to get from one place to another. The one thing I found very interesting is what Eric Sussman said about how to find your job with the circle chart that he explained. 

📸: Estrellita Segundo, Summer Intern

Who did you meet with today?

Today we had the opportunity to meet with Mera Baker Ramos and Sarah Kollman

Where do they work? What does the company do?

Mera Baker Ramos works for Pacific Charter School Development, a nonprofit organization that helps charter schools to secure affordable, high-quality facilities to address educational inequality.

Sarah Kollman works at Young Minney & Corr, LLP, which is a law firm that specializes in education law, along with lending their services to educational facilities, and nonprofit organizations.

What did you learn today? What were some highlights?

I learned that the practice of law is a little more strict than many other career paths but that the skills you put in are almost the same; the difference is that you need a test and that only some states in the U.S. allow for someone to take the Bar exam without attending law school. A highlight that I learned from this is that just like every other career path you should try to make connections with people in the same career path you desire, speak to counselors who can help you lean on resources that will direct you toward your chosen career path and lastly to listen and read more about your career path so you don’t start with a blind eye and you can be more knowledgeable about this desired career path

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

I was given the opportunity to learn how practicing law falls into real estate due to the fact lawyers are involved in real estate transactions such as buying and selling property which means they also review and draft contracts.

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

Some things I found most interesting about this field are how even though practicing law and real estate can be stressful and strict, you can manage it be ensuring you take breaks, and break up projects into smaller tasks. Another thing I found interesting is how this plays a role in the real world. This field of work can impact the lives of others by using the expertise you learn in the field of law to help others achieve their desired outcome from their situation.

Who did you meet with today?

Today we met with Cameron Smith, Jared Gragg, and Nate Hall.

Where do they work? What does the company do?

They work for Overaa, a construction company. Right now, they are working on the Palace Theater in Oakland to make it into a new home for BayTech Charter School.

What did you learn today? What were some highlights?

Today we learned about Overaa and what they did. We also learned about the process of converting a former theater into a school. A highlight was when we toured the active construction zone, then finished off with getting a deep look into the construction plans and a bit of computer-aided project designs.

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

We received insight into how construction companies operate and what measures they must take to ensure a safe and efficient construction process. We also learned about the various conditions and requirements set by the City of Oakland in order for the construction of the BayTech school to occur.

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

What I found most interesting about today was the fact that the site we visited was a historical building, as it was over 100 years old. That meant that more permits were required for the construction to begin; it also meant that certain things had to be preserved from the initial state of construction. For example, specific water fountains were preserved, and specific flooring was also preserved.

Who did you meet with today?

Today we met with Keivan Abidi and Cyrus Amani.

Where do they work? What does the company do?

Keivan and Cyrus work for Pacific Charter School Development and LCA Architects respectively. LCA is a company that designs modular buildings for commercial and industrial buildings such as Lighthouse.

What did you learn today? What were some highlights?

Some of the things we learned today were the step-by-step process of the creation of the think tank classroom, from how the floor plan was created in 3D before building them in the classroom to avoid conflicts and save time. We also learned on how they connected all the electrical wiring that the think tank space would need to become an actual classroom space.

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

Some great insights that we learned from this field of real estate development is that there are many different elements that come together when creating a modular building in a space like the one that was made in our campus, from planning to creating it in 2D then sending in the plans to get them approved not only by the clients but the city, then building it in the time frame that was given to them.

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

The most interesting thing that I learned from this specific field that it is easier and shorter to create a modular building inside another building than to build new buildings from the ground up.