Gavilan business student lands key construction internship position
by Jan Janes on Jan 10, 2020
When Flint Builders recruited for a recent internship at the $56M Brownell Middle School replacement project, they tapped Gavilan College talent.
“We believe in supporting the local region,” said Ryan Tognetti, the project’s preconstruction manager, who discussed the position with college administrators.
Gavilan College Business instructor Jason Wolowitz with Mason Miccichi, who
recently graduated and landed a paid internship with Flint Builders.
“We interviewed 12 candidates and chose Mason Miccichi, and hope this is the start of a great partnership with Gavilan,” said Tognetti. As a community college graduate himself, he noted the benefit of work experience leading to successful careers.
Area builders are dealing with a huge labor shortage of qualified individuals. Gavilan is one of just a few community colleges offering a construction management program in its business department.
“Mason has all the traits and skills that I have found to be a foundation in a successful student and business person,” said Jason Wolowitz, Gavilan College business instructor.
But Miccichi’s path was not smooth.
“Right out of high school, I attended Cabrillo,” said Miccichi. He didn’t like it, and didn’t know what he was going to do. “When I left, I had four failing grades and a bad taste in my mouth.”
After six months as an apprentice to an electrical company, he decided it also wasn’t for him.
Researching area colleges, Miccichi talked with counselor Leslie Tenney in December 2017, who told him he could do academic renewal.
“I was up in the air,” he said. “Did I want to go back to school? She said it’s not that difficult, that I could do it. That encouragement, working with Leslie, was really big for me.”
In high school, Miccichi never earned higher than a 3.2 GPA, and he failed out of Cabrillo. He started classes at Gavilan in spring of 2018 and attended year round, including winter and summer classes. Last semester he was on the President’s List, and he recently graduated with AS-T in business administration.
“My first financial class, the numbers and the dollars just made sense,” said Miccichi. “Classes with Jason Wolowitz are fun.”
Coming back to school at 22, he liked being in classes with the wide age range of students, from a 16-year-old working for Google writing software security patches, to a GECA student who shared a business model he was developing, and the older, returning students.
“The internship opportunity showed up, was announced in accounting class,” said Miccichi, and the job had been posted on the Career College Network for a couple of weeks.
“This is a complete remodel of Brownell School,” he said. “The project will last two to three years.” His job is to assist the project manager, project engineer and project superintendent.
“This internship is a fork in the road,” said Miccichi. It is the size company I want to end up at.” The company has agreed to work around his class schedule as he continues his studies.
Miccichi is looking to transfer to Santa Clara University, majoring in economics, or to San Jose State University, majoring in business.
He also views an internship at a major accounting firm possible in his career path. “If there is a lot more I need to learn, I will look for an internship with the Big Four,” he said.
Reflecting on his college career, Miccichi offered some advice. “I know kids from high school who got degrees in weird stuff, amassed major debt and have no job prospects.”
“If you’re going to go back to school, have an objective,” he said. “Commit and focus, because time management is key to flexing work with classes. Research your teachers and your classes, get something interesting to you and that you’re good at.”
Miccichi’s interest in finances led to his successful return to college and a paid internship. “Accounting is the scorecard,” he said. “It tells people if the other parts of the business are working, what is wrong and what is right.”
“We believe in supporting the local region,” said Ryan Tognetti, the project’s preconstruction manager, who discussed the position with college administrators.
Gavilan College Business instructor Jason Wolowitz with Mason Miccichi, who
recently graduated and landed a paid internship with Flint Builders.
“We interviewed 12 candidates and chose Mason Miccichi, and hope this is the start of a great partnership with Gavilan,” said Tognetti. As a community college graduate himself, he noted the benefit of work experience leading to successful careers.
Area builders are dealing with a huge labor shortage of qualified individuals. Gavilan is one of just a few community colleges offering a construction management program in its business department.
“Mason has all the traits and skills that I have found to be a foundation in a successful student and business person,” said Jason Wolowitz, Gavilan College business instructor.
But Miccichi’s path was not smooth.
“Right out of high school, I attended Cabrillo,” said Miccichi. He didn’t like it, and didn’t know what he was going to do. “When I left, I had four failing grades and a bad taste in my mouth.”
After six months as an apprentice to an electrical company, he decided it also wasn’t for him.
Researching area colleges, Miccichi talked with counselor Leslie Tenney in December 2017, who told him he could do academic renewal.
“I was up in the air,” he said. “Did I want to go back to school? She said it’s not that difficult, that I could do it. That encouragement, working with Leslie, was really big for me.”
In high school, Miccichi never earned higher than a 3.2 GPA, and he failed out of Cabrillo. He started classes at Gavilan in spring of 2018 and attended year round, including winter and summer classes. Last semester he was on the President’s List, and he recently graduated with AS-T in business administration.
“My first financial class, the numbers and the dollars just made sense,” said Miccichi. “Classes with Jason Wolowitz are fun.”
Coming back to school at 22, he liked being in classes with the wide age range of students, from a 16-year-old working for Google writing software security patches, to a GECA student who shared a business model he was developing, and the older, returning students.
“The internship opportunity showed up, was announced in accounting class,” said Miccichi, and the job had been posted on the Career College Network for a couple of weeks.
“This is a complete remodel of Brownell School,” he said. “The project will last two to three years.” His job is to assist the project manager, project engineer and project superintendent.
“This internship is a fork in the road,” said Miccichi. It is the size company I want to end up at.” The company has agreed to work around his class schedule as he continues his studies.
Miccichi is looking to transfer to Santa Clara University, majoring in economics, or to San Jose State University, majoring in business.
He also views an internship at a major accounting firm possible in his career path. “If there is a lot more I need to learn, I will look for an internship with the Big Four,” he said.
Reflecting on his college career, Miccichi offered some advice. “I know kids from high school who got degrees in weird stuff, amassed major debt and have no job prospects.”
“If you’re going to go back to school, have an objective,” he said. “Commit and focus, because time management is key to flexing work with classes. Research your teachers and your classes, get something interesting to you and that you’re good at.”
Miccichi’s interest in finances led to his successful return to college and a paid internship. “Accounting is the scorecard,” he said. “It tells people if the other parts of the business are working, what is wrong and what is right.”