Posted on August 6, 2025 by Sean M. Wood
Student interns from UTSA helping out at Habitat for Humanity.
Each year Habitat for Humanity of San Antonio & Guadalupe Valley puts out the call for 12 interns—six from high school and six from college. This year, all six college interns are from UTSA (Danya Martinez, Nahageny Black, Hernan Villarreal, Juan Mejia, Sofia Tovar, Caleb Moore).
“We didn’t exclusively go to UTSA to get them,” Habitat for Humanity Chief Development Officer Stephanie Wiese said. “Because UTSA has such a strong engineering and construction program, it just makes sense that many of our interns come from UTSA.”
Wiese said it’s hard for most of the interns to find jobs in construction, engineering or architecture while they’re still in school. The internship gives them those opportunities.
Junior construction management major Nahageny Black said she grew up working with her father as a carpenter in Bastrop. She learned about framing houses, proper painting techniques, and how not to strip screws. Black has already gotten some new experiences during her internship.
“I have learned how to build walls, use a caulk gun, plane wood, write a job hazard analysis, and present job safety tips to my peers before the work has begun,” she said.
Danya Martinez, a senior civil engineering student, said she hopes to apply what she has learned in the classroom to real-world situations, particularly in a way that benefits the community.
“I want to see how engineering concepts translate into real structures,” Martinez said. “This internship is giving me insight into the social responsibilities of engineers and how our work can influence the lives of our community. It is also helping me develop both technical and soft skills; everything from construction fundamentals and safety practices to communication and leadership.”
Students will learn hands-on construction skills, as well as oral communication, listening, initiative, follow-through, teamwork, maturity, leadership, empathy, and a commitment to community service, among other valuable skills.
“This is, in some cases, their first job, so we’re teaching them dependability, reliability, the ability to plan, organize, and manage their time,” Wiese said. “The hope is that by the end of the internship, every student will make the most of this opportunity. What’s going to make it most successful for them is whether they take their learning by the reins and make the most of this.”
Habitat will build as many as 60 houses per year, so there are always multiple houses under construction at any given time, Wiese said. The interns will work with volunteers on 10 to 15 houses, but will build one from start to finish and be present when the keys are handed over to the owner.
“Home ownership is so important to lower-income families,” she said. “Habitat is trying to do that, and we need the community’s help. That’s why we're proud of our partnership with UTSA. Not everybody is going to be in a field where they’re sitting behind a desk, and I think it's great that UTSA has such a strong program that can meet students’ needs and be able to help them learn how to be good in construction and engineering.”
— Sean M. Wood
Learn more about the Klesse College Internship Program.
