Scholarship Recipients Set Sights on Industry Careers
NPCA recently awarded eight undergraduate students with an NPCA Foundation Scholarship to help them reach their educational goals and begin building a future in the precast concrete industry. In this issue, NPCA features the last two of the student recipients. Find out more about their introduction to precast, educational goals and interests.
Rhett Rohde
Le Vernia, Texas
Tarleton State University
Rhett Rohde is a freshman at Tarleton State University with a major in construction science management. Rohde was introduced to the precast concrete industry through his family’s construction business. They own a construction company that mainly focuses on industrial and contracting work, and through that work, precast concrete is often the material of choice. Rohde’s interest in construction science management stems from working with his father and grandpa in the family construction business. When he started high school, he started working at the company and learning under his family’s expertise, which ultimately inspired him to major in construction.
When Rohde started working in the family business, he began by observing the workers and learning as much as he could before taking on hands-on work. During his time at the company, aside from technical work, he learned a lot about responsibility and taking ownership, whether things go right or wrong. During his studies at Tarleton State University, Rohde hopes to continue learning about the construction industry and best practices that he can take back home and rejoin the family business.
Throughout his college career, Rohde has already been laser-focused on building as many connections as possible. Next semester, he plans to find a local job in the construction industry and build connections that way. Another big goal is to maintain the best grades he can and really put in the effort to get as much as he can out of his major and college career, and hopefully graduate college a year early.
Outside of school, Rohde likes to hunt during hunting season, as well as work on projects down on his family’s ranch.
Joshua Calderdon
Eatontown, New Jersey
New Jersey Institute of Technology
Joshua Calderdon is attending NJIT with a major in concrete industry management (CIM). He learned about CIM through high school speakers and attending job fairs. He later obtained a summer internship through Garden State Precast, where he further learned about the precast concrete industry. Calderdon’s interest in the precast industry stems from the hands-on approach—he likes getting his hands dirty. During his summer internship, he was thrown into all departments, where he learned a little bit of everything, from quality control to reading engineer drawings. He also was taught the importance of the delivery and shipping department, where he traveled to various local job sites.
During his college career, Calderdon is committed to maintaining a high GPA and trying out different skill sets. He’s interested in taking on more internships to learn about different aspects of the precast industry, such as ready-mix. Once he graduates from college, he hopes to find a job that not only teaches him new skills but also offers a great work environment. He wants to continue focusing on the engineering side of the concrete industry, but can see himself as a project manager.
Outside of school, Calderdon would describe himself as a very social person, and likes to spend time with his friends and family. He also likes to play video games in his free time and played basketball in high school.