At Bardstown High School, students can experience the office environment for careers they may be interested in pursuing while earning high school credit. These internships are the final level of Bardstown City Schools’ Path2Pro program, a program that helps students develop their academic and post secondary goals. 

Senior Eli Hill is currently interning with Buzick Construction. Through his internship he is observing what a future career in engineering entails. Eli began his internship in August and immediately felt welcomed by the engineers he is shadowing.

“They’ve taken time to teach me new things, to describe and answer any questions I might have, and to make sure to show me new things,” Eli explained. A big part of why Eli enjoys working at Buzick is because everyone he has met has a great and positive attitude, and an overflow of encouragement and support through any issues he encounters.

Prior to his internship Eli completed advanced math and engineering classes as part of the engineering concentration at Bardstown High School.

“My algebra, geometry, and physics courses all prepared me with the knowledge I needed to have in mathematics to complete my tasks as an intern correctly. My experience in Bardstown’s engineering concentration also prepared me, already giving me hands-on experience with AutoCad and in construction.”

At his internship Eli does something completely different every day. He reported that engineering “can be as simple (and boring) as reading building codes and legal documents, or as complicated and exciting as working with new technologies or in active sites!” 

He has learned many new skills during his first few months at Buzick Construction. Prior to winter break Eli had already greatly expanded his Microsoft Excel skills, spent time working on a construction management tool, called the Raken, and AutoDesk or AutoCad. 

Eli is also studying the legalities that go into engineering. Recently, he learned the legal building codes and regulations, as well as the many forms of calculations that go into engineering. Currently, he is learning about the mathematical concepts of structural engineering, and even exploring the financial side of construction through budgeting and planning.

Internships are powerful learning experiences that can help a student make a well-informed career decision. They can even ignite a new interest. Eli wanted to intern with Buzick Construction so that he could get hands-on experience in the field before selecting a college major. His internship may have helped him discover a career that could unify his multiple interests.

“I love engineering and politics (yikes, I know),” said Eli. 

He is extremely interested in public policy and urban planning, so working in a department like the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) or infrastructure-related legislation heavily interests him. 

After high school, Eli plans to attend college and study public policy or engineering.