Student Success Stories
Thiago Bezerra
“I remember it perfectly,” said Thiago Bezerra, a Brazil native and junior at UVSC majoring in technology management with an emphasis in construction management, of his arrival in Utah in March 2000. “I got off the plane and I looked out the window of the airport and it was sunny outside. I thought it was good weather and that it would be warm, but when I walked outside I almost froze to death.”He remembers it now with a laugh, though it certainly came as a shock at the time. Luckily, he didn’t turn around and get back on the airplane. Bezerra credits much of his success to his education at UVSC and his involvement in the construction program. One reason that he chose to earn his degree from UVSC is because of the unique opportunity students studying construction have to gain hands-on experience.
Bezerra, along with a team of five other UVSC students which he captained, recently participated in an annual Associated Schools of Construction residential construction competition in Reno, Nev. Competing against seven other schools in the region, including BYU and BYU Idaho, they were presented with a problem to solve – the design of a large subdivision of 290 homes on sloped lots surrounding a canyon – and given from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. to solve it. The solutions were then judged by professionals in the area of residential construction, who awarded Bezerra and his team the gold.
“Our first year at the competition, we went without any knowledge of what it was about,” Bezerra said. “From that first experience, we learned a lot, and learned about what we needed to practice and prepare for. This time, we were confident and prepared to place, but when first place came, we were even more excited than before. It was even better than we thought it would be.”
As a result of winning the competition, Bezerra has received several offers for internships and jobs. He’s accepted an internship with W.W. Clyde & Co. construction company, and will be working over the summer as an assistant to the project managers and superintendent on the construction of a hydroelectric plant on the Jordanelle dam in Heber Valley.
“At UVSC you don’t just learn the theory of construction. You get experience, and that’s what companies are really looking for,” he said.
He also credits his success to the direct contact and relationships that he has had with his professors and their willingness to help their students.
“It’s so important for students to get involved,” he said. “They should really participate in the program, because it helps you leave with more than just an education.”
Bezerra plans to graduate in April 2009. He and his wife Jennette reside in Lindon, Utah, with their three children.