Dylan Ramirez-Zarate, construction management, Consigli Construction
East Carolina University senior Dylan Ramirez-Zarate spent his summer in New York City, but not on Broadway or Wall Street. Instead, the construction management major and New York native interned with Consigli Construction and worked on the renovation of the Jewish Museum. The museum is located on Museum Mile, which is home to some of the world’s most famous museums.
Dylan Ramirez-Zarate was exposed to renovations to the Apollo Theatre as part of a summer internship. (Contributed photo)
“To be part of the Jewish Museum renovation means a lot,” he said. “For East Carolina to be part of this historic, high-profile renovation is phenomenal. It was a chance to go back and work in the city I call home.”
In addition to the Jewish Museum project, Ramirez-Zarate also was exposed to renovations to the Apollo Theatre. The theatre has hosted some of the nation’s most acclaimed musicians for generations. He also visited the construction site of an IKEA flagship store and several residential high-rise buildings that are under construction in the New York Tri-State area.
Ramirez-Zarate said that ECU helped him in his internship in two important, but very different ways.
“ECU helped me develop confidence,” he said. “From being on campus to a pair of off-campus jobs at Sup Dogs and University Book Exchange, it helped prepare me to develop a strong level of confidence that ultimately led to building strong relationships that were made on and off job sites.
“Second, my construction contracts class with Mr. (Danny) Morton, labs with Mr. (Anthony) Barnett and drawings class with Mr. (J.) Pittman were crucial for this internship. I cannot stress how important understanding construction language both on paper and off means. These projects were incredibly complex, and I thank ECU’s construction management department for having these critical classes.”
A trip to Italy in 2024 as part of the ECU Tuscany program gave Ramirez-Zarate an important skill: the ability to develop friendships with those who don’t speak the same language.
“New York City job sites are so diverse. I had developed the communication skills to get the messages across on the job sites even when we didn’t have a common language,” he said.
With his internship complete, Ramirez-Zarate has his sights set on the next big project while keeping in mind where he got his start.
“I will enlist in the National Guard and plan to work at big construction projects as well as in military construction wherever I’m called to serve. Wherever I am, I will also make sure I have an ECU sticker on my hard hat,” he said.