Portland native Kailey never imagined she’d be going to school at the home of the Blue Turf, let alone helping build it. But here she is and she wouldn’t have it any other way. So, how’d she get here? “I came [to Boise State] and visited and fell in love with the campus and the city, and all the people that I met,” she says. Putting herself out there and taking risks led to a love for a campus, city, and career she didn’t originally plan to pursue.
For Kailey, pushing herself to double major in finance and construction management has led to an experience of a lifetime in the form of a rewarding internship on her “home turf” at the Albertsons Stadium North End Zone Project. The project is a 360-degree concourse that will infill existing north end zone bleacher seating with approximately 1,600 seats to offer first-class premium seating options and amenities.
Taking Risks to Find a New Passion
Kailey had always planned on majoring in finance after participating in different business clubs in high school, but after receiving a piece of advice from a family member, her career trajectory changed: “‘Take one class outside your major that just interests you.’ So I took a construction management class – and ended up really, really enjoying it,” Kailey shares. Her interest stemmed from a DIY project management project presented by Kailey’s uncle in high school. She was able to plan and execute the restoration of a van from start to finish.
That one class she took based on interest alone? It ended up sealing the deal for Kailey to add construction management to her course work. Kailey is now double-majoring in finance and construction management where “there’s not a lot of class overlap, but content-wise, they intertwine – especially in budgeting and mapping out projects.”
Competition Connections
Hard work in a construction management competition led to a domino effect of opportunity. Acting on a call for participants during her construction management classes, Kailey led her team to victory in the 2025 Associated Schools of Construction (ASC Reno) competition, a national competition that offers students practical experience and the opportunity to connect with potential employers. She describes the 12-hour project where you and your team figure out a real-world construction project as, “intense, but you learn so much.”
Boise State’s track record shines as this year also marked the twenty-second straight year Boise State teams have secured at least one top-three finish in the competition. Kailey’s team’s real-world construction project was close to home as they were coached and supported by Boise’s Andersen Construction.
Learning by Doing on Home Turf
The next stop for Kailey was to gain real world experience in the form of an internship. She applied for and was accepted as a project engineer intern with Andersen Construction after building relationships during the ASC Reno competition. After starting her internship, the path was clear, “When I heard one of the projects was the Boise State End Zone, I told them, ‘That’s the one I want to be on.’ I advocated for myself, and now I’m on it,” Kailey explains.
During her internship she’s doing a little bit of everything. One main focus has been reviewing submittals and creating and drafting RFIs (Requests For Information) – “Something that maybe isn’t clarified on the drawings or a specification that you need more information on. It’s a way for us to connect with our design team and subcontractors,” Kailey explains.
“The submittals have allowed me to get in contact with different subcontractors and learn more about their different scopes of work,” Kailey says. She’s found that making these connections in academics and professionally have opened doors to new opportunities.
Advocating for Yourself
Jumping into that next step of your college experience can be scary. Kailey’s advice is: “Be your biggest advocate. Even if it feels weird or out of your comfort zone—say what you want. It’ll get you further than you think.”