In Her Boots: Meredith Rose

Through Q&A articles and Instagram Takeovers, our "In Her Boots" series is designed to showcase and provide an inside look at what a day in the life looks like in the shoes (or boots) for some of the exceptional women at Clark.

In this edition of "In Her Boots," we’re featuring Meredith Rose, a second-year Summer Associate on the University of Washington Seismic Improvement project. A rising senior studying Construction Management at Purdue University, Meredith previously worked as a Clark Summer Associate on the Park Tower project in San Francisco.

Tell us a little bit about your role at Clark.

As a Summer Associate on the UW Seismic Improvements project, my activities vary from day-to-day. One day I might be assisting with productivity tracking, and another day I might be helping review and prepare RFIs and submittals. I support any kind of work that needs to be done on site.

What led you to major in Construction Management at Purdue?

My father was a carpenter so I was exposed to the construction industry at a young age. I started building houses with my dad when I was a kid and initially wanted to go into residential home building. However, after completing my first construction internship, I realized that commercial work was what I wanted to pursue.

I chose to study Construction Management at Purdue because it is one of the best programs in the country.

This is your second year as a Summer Associate at Clark. What accomplishment from your time here are you most proud of?

One day when my mentor was out of town, I was tasked with watching over the masonry and scaffolding subcontractors. After our punch walk with the architect, the masonry contractors were tasked with fixing all the patches on the exterior walls of one of the  buildings. I noticed that some of the patches weren’t up to the architect’s expectations, so I took the initiative to call them back onto the site and have them fix it before the scaffolding came down.

I know it may seem like a trivial task, but for an aspiring superintendent, it was a big accomplishment!

What is one of the most important things you've learned during your time at Clark?

That one of the most dangerous things you can do on a jobsite is not make a decision. When you are on a deadline to get a project done and something unexpected comes up, you must be decisive, use the resources at your disposal to address the situation, and move on.

What have you enjoyed most about your time here?

The people. I love my team on the UW Seismic Improvement project and the type of work environment they foster in the office. The Clark team also keeps things positive and pushes me to be the best engineer I can be. I wake up every morning wanting to go to work, not only because I love what I do, but because of the people that I work with.

Check out our Instagram Story as Meredith shows us what a day in the life is like in her boots.