Meet the Interns: Eastern Region

Each summer, Schnabel welcomes interns from around the country who bring fresh perspectives, curiosity, and enthusiasm to our teams. This year, 48 interns joined offices across the firm—an increase from our originally announced 47—representing a wide range of academic backgrounds, interests, and career goals.

Throughout the summer, these interns are exploring their interests, expanding their technical skills, and learning what it’s like to contribute to real-world engineering projects that make a difference in communities across the country.

First up: Meet five of our 28 talented interns from our Eastern Region offices.

Abdoul Sidibe: Chadds Ford, PA

Abdoul Sidibe is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering with a structural focus at Drexel University after earning an associate degree in engineering science/civil engineering from Rowan College of South Jersey. A Philadelphia-area native, Abdoul was drawn to Schnabel by the opportunity to learn from professionals across multiple engineering disciplines while gaining both office and field experience.

“I’m most excited about learning from real-world projects and continuing to build my technical and professional skills,” shares Abdoul.

This summer, Abdoul has already contributed through drafting, field observations, and project coordination. He is particularly interested in geostructural engineering and is eager to learn more about ground improvement methods and construction practices while building a strong technical foundation.

Outside of work, Abdoul enjoys playing soccer, spending time outdoors, and taking on personal projects. Whether it’s engineering challenges or developing websites and apps, he enjoys learning new skills and creating things from the ground up.

Kira Wheeler: Jersey City, NJ

Originally from New Paltz, New York, Kira Wheeler is pursuing a Master of Science in environmental science at NYU Tandon School of Engineering. What attracted her to Schnabel was the company culture and the sense that employees are invested in helping one another succeed.

“I want to understand how the modeling, analysis, fieldwork, and management all connect into a real project,” says Kira.

Kira is excited to gain exposure to the many components that make engineering projects successful. She hopes to better understand how modeling, analysis, fieldwork, and project management come together to deliver real-world solutions.

Her primary area of interest is water resources engineering, and she has particularly enjoyed working on hydrologic and hydraulic modeling projects during her internship.
Fun fact: Kira is a twin.

Madeleine Boedeker: Alpharetta, GA

Madeleine Boedeker is a graduate student at Texas A&M University pursuing a Master of Engineering in civil engineering with a focus on water resources engineering. Originally from San Diego, California, Madeleine joined Schnabel to gain experience working on projects related to dams, a field she hopes to pursue professionally.

“I’m looking forward to learning about the design components of various projects,” says Madeleine. “I’m also excited to go on site visits so that I can see the different stages of a project’s lifecycle.”

While her primary interest lies in the hydrologic and hydraulic aspects of dam engineering, she is also eager to learn more about the geotechnical considerations involved in designing and constructing dams.

When she’s not studying engineering, Madeleine enjoys exploring the outdoors. In fact, she has visited 27 national parks!

Siri Hellenbrand: Chadds Ford, PA

Siri Hellenbrand is a senior at Lehigh University pursuing a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering. Originally from Chalfont, Pennsylvania, she was attracted to Schnabel because of her interest in Schnabel’s tunneling and underground work.

Since joining the team, Siri has enjoyed learning from her colleagues and gaining insight into how tunnel systems are designed and constructed safely and effectively.
“I am most excited to learn how to design and model tunnel systems in 2D and 3D,” shares Siri.

She hopes to apply that knowledge in a future career as a structural engineer.

And for a memorable fun fact: this photo (below) of a young Siri was featured on the packaging for a Barbie doll!

Tristan Pruett: Richmond, VA

Tristan Pruett is returning for his second internship with Schnabel. Originally from West Point, Virginia, he is currently studying civil engineering at the Virginia Military Institute.

Having already spent one summer with the company, he is excited to continue building his experience through hands-on fieldwork.

Tristan was drawn to Schnabel’s internship program because it offered an opportunity to explore a specific area of civil engineering.

“These internships have helped me explore geotechnical engineering in depth and better understand the career path I want to pursue,” reflects Tristan.

Tristan has developed a strong interest in geotechnical engineering and looks forward to continuing to grow his knowledge and experience in the field.

One fun fact about Tristan: he is an Eagle Scout.

We are proud to have these talented students on our team this summer and look forward to seeing all they accomplish during their time at Schnabel. Stay tuned as we continue our Meet the Interns series with interns from our Central and Western offices.