1st Place

Tyler Kleinsasser

SD School of Mines & Technology
Construction & Civil Engineering

 2nd Place

           Norma Ajanel            

 Lanier Technical College
Construction Management

3rd Place

 Charbel Gonzalez

 University of Texas at San Antonio Architecture

Tyler Kleinsasser is a dedicated student at the SD School of Mines and Technology from South Dakota. His early interest in construction and engineering, fostered by family influence, laid the foundation for an accomplished academic journey, highlighted by a 4.0 GPA. Throughout his college career, he has actively engaged in a wide range of projects, including several humanitarian initiatives. After graduation, Tyler strives to pursue a challenging and rewarding career, eventually start his own construction company, and give back to the next generation. In his spare time, Tyler enjoys learning about technology, playing games, reading, and outdoor activities.

Norma Ajanel is currently a student at Lanier Technical College in Gainesville, Georgia, pursuing an Associates Degree in Applied Science of Construction Management. Raised in a construction oriented environment, her passion for the field grew unexpectedly. Since age 15, Norma has worked alongside her father on projects, advancing from commercial to residential framing. Today, she independently builds homes, designs plans, and coordinates projects. As the eldest of six siblings and a mother, Norma strives to empower women by showcasing their potential. Beyond her degree, she plans to expand her business and become a Structural Engineer. Norma aims to lead with integrity and empowerment, inspiring her children and others to pursue their aspirations freely.

3rd Place

Bryce Emmons
The Ohio State University
Construction Systems Management

Tyler Kleinsasser is a student at the SD School of Mines and Technology. Originally from South Dakota, his interest in construction was developed through family influence. Throughout his college career, he has actively engaged in a wide range of projects, including several humanitarian initiatives. With a 4.0 GPA, Tyler strives to pursue a challenging and rewarding career after graduation and eventually start his own construction company. In his free time, he enjoys outdoor activities like hiking and exercising, as well as playing games, reading, and solving Rubik’s cubes.

My name is Nathan Herrick and I am from Raleigh, NC. I am a sophomore at Virginia Tech pursuing a double major in Commercial Real Estate Development/Investment and Building Construction. My first true experience in the construction industry was my sophomore year of high school. I started volunteering with Habitat for Humanity. I ended up volunteering nearly every Saturday for 2.5 years. The staff and volunteer crew leaders took me under their wings and developed me into their youngest crew leader. Once I graduated high school, I interned with a custom home builder, giving me a strong foundation going into school. I am a member of the ASC Design-Build Team at Virginia Tech. I am looking forward to traveling to Europe and out west for our competitions. We will be working with our team sponsor, Whiting-Turner to complete multiple capstone projects ahead of our competitions. In addition to ASC, I have a part time job working as the Industry Coordinator Intern for the School of Construction. By helping to arrange career fairs, guest speakers, and recruiting events, I have had the opportunity to work with some of the top leaders in the construction industry. For fun, I enjoy running for the club cross country and track and field team. Over the past summer, I completed a project management internship building a multifamily high-rise with JLB Partners in the DC Metro area. As my experience grows, my passion for construction only increases.

3rd Place

Leah Helmer
Louisiana State
Construction Management

My education aspirations consist of receiving a bachelor's degree in construction management during the spring 2023 term at Fresno State. I am currently on track to graduate during the spring 2023 term. After I receive the bachelor’s degree, I want to continue attending Fresno State to receive an M.B.A (Master of Business Administration) during the fall 2024 term. 

I was exposed to the construction industry at the early age of 12 years old. More specifically the concrete field. My fathers occupation is a concrete laborer and he gave me the opportunity to visit his job sites and learn his ways. I would spend quite some time out in the field and I eventually became a great concrete finisher in which I genuinely enjoyed. What I enjoy most is that moment when you drive by one of your jobs that you have completed in the past and see the final product. Whether it’s the foundation for a house or simply a driveway, the amount of hard work that is put in every job will never be forgotten. The majority of my family is in the construction industry and as time was passing by, I started noticing how construction can take a toll on your body. My Family members that have been in the industry the longest started having a lot of issues with their spine. That’s when I knew I had to find a different route. I started doing research and found a way to stay in the construction industry and not have to break your back which was getting a degree in construction management. By pursuing this degree, I would be able to obtain knowledge on how to manage a construction company and project. With the knowledge I would be able to keep pursuing construction and start my own company. I can also give family members supervisory roles due to their extensive experience and to get them out of harming their spine.

My name is Jackson Drescher, and I am from Franklin, Tennessee. I am currently a junior at Mississippi State University studying building construction science. In my college search, Mississippi State stood out to me for many reasons, but one big reason was the construction program. The studio-based format and the hands-on learning aspect to the program made the major unique and exciting to me. When I started in the program, I had no previous construction experience and was nervous it would not work out. During my time at Mississippi State, I have loved learning about the construction industry and how the industry operates.

Over the course of my career, I have goals I want to achieve now and I know more will come with time. One of my first goals is to get a first job at a company I really like and think I have a good future with. I want to go into my first job confident in my decision with the company I chose. I want to have separated myself from others searching for jobs and feel like I have a choice in where I want to work, not feel it was the only company I could work for. Second, I want to take part in jobs that help people achieve their dreams. Construction projects are very often a huge financial decision for an owner, and the owner must sacrifice to build a large building. With this large financial investment in a building, the project can become a dream for many owners. I want to play a role in delivering one of these dream projects to an owner. Lastly, I want to find ways to improve the industry. I want to find areas that need improvement and be part of the solution to the issue and provide a more efficient construction industry.

1st Place

Allie Stark
Clemson
Construction Science and Management  

Dylan Barkasy
University of Connecticut
Civil Engineering

3rd Place

Cameron Crace
Mississippi State
Building Construction Science  

From Lexington, South Carolina, Allie Stark is an incoming freshman at Clemson University in the Construction Science and Management Program, minoring in Architecture and Business Administration. After building two homes from the ground up in her high school building construction program, and too many remodel projects of her childhood bedroom to count, Allie plans to translate her lifelong passion into a career in residential renovations and a contest with her dad to see who can amass the more impressive tool collection. 

Cameron Crace is a sophomore Building Construction Science major at Mississippi State University.  Initially attracted to the unique, collaborative, studio-based program offered at MSU, Cameron knows without question that he made the right choice in choosing BCS. He describes his first year in the program as “the most challenging, tiring, exhausting year of my life,” but quickly follows that with “it was also the most rewarding.”  His interest in construction began as a child on family trips to Indiana when his grandfather Bill Crace, a general contractor, would take him to project sites in the Louisville, KY, area and explain the construction process.  He now looks forward to following in his grandfather’s footsteps by creating structures built with pride and to the highest level of industry standards.  

1st Place

Philip Christian
Mississippi State
Building Construction Science

Hunter Smith
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Junior Construction Management

3rd Place

Gabriela Gonzalez
Texas A&M University 
Construction Science

1st Place

Zachary Ford
The University of Southern Mississippi
Construction Management

Sabrina Aguilar
Grand Canyon University
Ed.D. (Building and Construction Trade Management)