DDC Welcomes 30 High School Summer Interns

July 11, 2019

Contact: Shoshana Khan, 718-391-1251, KhanSho@ddc.nyc.gov

(Long Island City, NY – July 11, 2019) NYC Department of Design and Construction (DDC) Commissioner Lorraine Grillo today greeted 30 high school students who have been selected from 384 applicants for the paid summer internships at DDC. Students will participate in a summer work program with more than 1,300 DDC professionals that will give them a behind the scenes introduction to the fields of construction, design, architecture, engineering, law, business administration and finance. The program began on July 8th and will end on August 16th.

The High School Summer Internship Program is organized in partnership with the NYC Department of Youth & Community Development through DDC’s STEAM education initiative, which was created in 2014 to establish a diverse and inclusive pipeline for New York City's youth to engage in architecture, construction, and engineering (ACE) industries. The agency also hosts a summer internship program for college students, a middle school summer enrichment program, as well as numerous educational programs. Overall, DDC STEAM has served more than 3,500 students since its inception.

“DDC selects highly motivated students from every borough, teams them with accomplished professionals, and provides them with the tools to understand how to build for the benefit of New York City,” said DDC Commissioner Lorraine Grillo. “As the demand for workers skilled in technical fields continues to grow, it is our expectation that our high school interns will be challenged and intrigued and that they will consider exploring the many careers in the built environment in the not-too-distant future.”

“Over the years our interns have left a very positive impression on us,” said Deputy Commissioner for Community Partnerships and STEAM Initiatives Lee Llambelis. “We have witnessed them grow in a variety of ways, from learning how to draw blueprints, to becoming adept at Excel, to developing networking skills. We’re extremely excited to see what this next cohort of interns can learn from their experience at DDC.”

“I became interested in engineering during my sophomore year after I learned about digital electronics with breadboards and circuits,” said DDC Intern Alyssa Yamraj. “I chose to apply for the internship program at DDC because I want to further explore engineering and get exposure to what my career would be like in the future. This opportunity will teach me many transferable skills including the essentials of networking as well as the various types of engineering and design software that DDC uses.”

This is the fifth year of DDC’s High School Summer Internship program. There are 15 male and 15 female interns, representing each borough and 20 different high schools. Each intern will be assigned a personal mentor from a DDC division, including Built it Back, Human Resources and Staff Development, Infrastructure, Information Technology Services and Public Buildings.

A study completed last year showed that students who participated in DDC STEAM programs were more interested in technical career fields, were more confident in their ability to do math and science and showed a greater understanding that engineering and architectural fields are for all people including those that are underrepresented.

About the NYC Department of Design and Construction
The Department of Design and Construction is the City’s primary capital construction project manager. In supporting Mayor de Blasio’s long-term vision of growth, sustainability, resiliency, equity and healthy living, DDC provides communities with new or renovated public buildings such as such as firehouses, libraries, police precincts, and new or upgraded roads, sewers and water mains in all five boroughs. To manage this $14 billion portfolio, DDC partners with other City agencies, architects and consultants, whose experience bring efficient, innovative and environmentally-conscious design and construction strategies to City projects. For more information, please visit nyc.gov/ddc.