USF interns help build new on-campus stadium — etching their names into history

By Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing

By the time four students arrived to sign a 43-foot construction beam destined to become part of the student section of USF's new on-campus stadium, space was already scarce.

The 10,000-pound beam - displayed outside the Marshall Student Center so students could leave their mark on USF history - was nearly covered with names and messages, including graduation years, majors, Greek affiliations, "Go Bulls!" and doodles of USF horns.

With little room left, those four students were forced to sign the beam's undercarriage. Their names are easy to miss - but not to a sharp-eyed observer.

Among the thousands of signatures, theirs are the only ones marked "MCC-interns," a nod to their roles as stadium project interns for Manhattan Construction Co. - one of three firms serving as construction manager for the 35,000-seat stadium rising on the east side of campus.

"This has been an extremely exciting opportunity," said intern Logan Wakelin, a civil engineering major. "We're gaining valuable experience, but we also have the opportunity to be part of one of the biggest and most important projects in USF history."

And the interns are doing meaningful work, said Pierce Valdes, Manhattan Construction's project engineer overseeing the students.

"We had a lot of applications, but we carefully selected the four students we felt could best contribute," Valdes said. "We're not just giving them busy work. When they're with us, they're treated like full-time employees."

Wakelin is part of the team designing the stadium's interior.

"We help choose finishes like paint, flooring, countertops and fabrics," she said. "I also help review and organize material samples so they can be approved before they're installed."

Sophia Leyva, a project management major, focuses on structural coordination in her internship, helping catch and resolve discrepancies in drawings before they reach construction crews.

"It's what I want to do with my career," Leyva said.

Julia Alcoforado, a business major, works on the stadium's envelope team - which is responsible for the parts that seal the building, including doors, windows and the roof.

"My internship involves reviewing project documents and supporting on-site operations to ensure construction progresses efficiently and aligns with design and project goals," she said.

Nicholas Reali, a mechanical engineering major, works on overhead coordination, helping ensure mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems are properly planned before concrete is poured.

"It's about making sure everything is called out in the drawings so you don't have to break up concrete later," he said.

Each intern brings a different level of fandom to the project.

Growing up in New Hampshire, Wakelin was a diehard New England Patriots fan, making work on a stadium a dream come true.

"This is so cool," she said. "I can't wait to walk in and know I played a small role in it."

Leyva was raised a USF Bulls fan in Sarasota.

"I'd been to games before I was a student," she said. "And I've been to plenty as a student here."

Alcoforado is from Brazil, where football means soccer, but she attended plenty of USF football games too.

"Working on something like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity," she said.

Reali is the only one of the four who said he has never attended a USF football game.

"I'm just not much of a sports fan," he said. "But I'll be at the first one in the new stadium, and I'll definitely be looking for the parts I know I worked on."