Starting a successful career often relies on positive mentorship, skill development, and memorable experiences. At HEI, we provide diverse internship opportunities that pave the way for future employment.
This summer, we’re thrilled to welcome more than 22 interns to our team! Our internships not only offer valuable career growth post-college but also immerse you in our work culture, fun activities, and avenues for professional advancement.
Join us in welcoming HEI’s talented interns this summer. Learn more about them below, and if you’re interested in becoming part of our team, check out the open positions on our careers page!
Alex Hovdenes
Alex grew up in Fargo, ND, and joins our Fargo team as an intern working towards a degree in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota Duluth. He is expecting to graduate in 2029.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you about joining our team? I already had some relevant experience in surveying, and I am now going for a civil engineering degree. I am excited for the opportunity to gain experience in a field relevant to what I am working towards.
Are you involved in any community organizations or volunteer work?If so, what do you enjoy about it? I am involved with scouting. I like it because it gave me many memorable and amazing experiences when I was a kid.
Favorite snack: Potato chips and dill dip.
Anna Sanderson
Originally from Wayne, PA, Anna joins our Maple Grove team as an intern working towards a degree in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. She is expecting to graduate in Spring 2027.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you about joining our team? HEI interested me because of the types of projects they work on, especially with water! I’m really excited to be joining a team that is very community and safety-focused.
Are you involved in any community organizations or volunteer work? I volunteer with Thorncroft Equestrian Center, a horseback riding school for people with disabilities. I really enjoy working with the horses and the people.
Favorite snack: Corn chips.
Ben Fercho
Native to Fargo, ND, Ben joins our Fargo team as an intern working towards a degree in civil engineering from the University of North Dakota. He expects to graduate in spring 2028.
What do you hope to learn or achieve during your internship here at HEI? I hope to learn a lot about structural engineering that will prepare me for future jobs after I graduate.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I enjoy playing golf, playing the viola (slightly bigger and lower than a violin), playing chess, and going to church on Sunday.
What’s your favorite local business, restaurant, or event in your community? My favorite local restaurant is Blackbird Woodfire.
Chase Gornick
Originally from Hudson, WI, Chase joins our Maple Grove team as an intern working towards a degree in civil engineering from Michigan State University. He is expecting to graduate in spring 2028.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you about joining our team? The opportunity to work in different fields and experience what it’s like to be an engineer. I’m most excited about the day-to-day, seeing, and being part of projects.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I enjoy spending time with friends and family. Some of my hobbies include golf, fishing, and watching sports.
Favorite snack: Banana Bread.
Genevieve Gard
Native to Fargo, ND, Genevieve joins our Fargo team as an intern working toward a degree in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota Duluth. She is expected to graduate in fall 2027.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you most about joining our team? I had the opportunity to shadow and meet a few engineers at HEI in high school. Everyone seemed to really enjoy working here and gave me great insight! I am super excited to collaborate with and learn from the engineers here.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I have lived in Duluth for the past few years and have gotten into hiking. I also love to read – Louise Erdrich is my favorite author right now.
What’s your favorite snack? My favorite snack is apple slices and peanut butter.
Iliyana Chumachenko
Native to Bismarck, ND, Iliyana joins our Bismarck team as an intern, working toward a degree in civil engineering from the University of Mary. She expects to graduate in spring 2027.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you most about joining our team? My new friend, Nic Cullen, whom I met through church, appreciated my degree of study and recommended I try out HEI. After further research, I decided to join because of the proximity to home and the opportunities to work out of the office, as well as on projects related to water resources. I am excited to learn and practice more applications of engineering.
What’s your favorite local business, restaurant, or event in your community? Probably when the Missouri River Festival comes to town, but also the Fourth of July is so fun! Also love to spend time camping or just “bon-firing” in the desert!
What’s your favorite snack? Sushi.
Keira Paulsen
Originally from Moorhead, MN, Keira joins our Fargo team as an intern working toward a degree in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota Duluth. She expects to graduate in spring 2027.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you about joining our team? I like that HEI is more localized to the Midwest while still having lots of resources available. I am excited to expand my experience and knowledge through this opportunity and to meet new people with similar interests.
What do you hope to learn or achieve during your internship here? I am interested in the structural side of civil engineering, so I am excited to see how things I am learning in class are applied in the real world. I also hope to get more exposure to the other disciplines in the field.
Are you involved in any community organizations or volunteer work? If so, what do you enjoy about it? In Duluth, I volunteer at the local domestic violence shelter with my sorority. We also raise awareness and money for Girls Who Code and Dress for Success. I really enjoy how much it allows me to give back to a community I am a part of and uplift other women while also having fun doing it.
Keith Houchins
Keith grew up in Hugo, MN, and he joins our Eden Prairie team as an intern working toward a degree in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota Twin Cities. He expects to graduate in spring 2028.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you about joining our team? I was excited to hear that HEI has worked a lot on water-related projects.
What’s your favorite local business, restaurant, or event in your community? Cup ‘n Cone in White Bear Lake
Favorite snack: I love to eat chocolate when I work and study.
Luke Anderson
Luke grew up in Glenburn, ND, and joins our Minot team as an intern working towards a degree in civil engineering from North Dakota State University. He is expecting to graduate in spring 2029.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you about joining our team? I was drawn to HEI because I can tell they’re an organization that will continue to grow and make lasting impacts on communities and cities throughout the Midwest for many years to come. I am extremely excited to be surrounded by several other hardworking and motivated individuals with the same common goal in mind, and I am looking forward to bringing my skill sets to the team to help us achieve these goals.
What’s your favorite local business, restaurant, or event in your community? Scheels.
Favorite snack: Trail mix.
Mason Potz
Mason grew up in Shakopee, MN, and joins our Eden Prairie team as an intern working towards a degree in civil engineering from the University of Minnesota Duluth. He is expecting to graduate in fall 2026.
What do you hope to learn or achieve during your internship here? I’m hoping to get more experience with AutoCAD and the design process.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I enjoy watching sports, specifically baseball and hockey. In the winter, I like to snowboard and, in the summer, I like to hike.
What’s your favorite local business, restaurant, or event in your community? Every Wednesday in June and July, Shakopee hosts ‘Rhythm on the Rails’, a free concert with local food trucks and small businesses.
Peter Davies
Originally from Palatine, IL, Peter joins our Minot team as an intern, working towards a degree in civil engineering from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. He is expecting to graduate in spring 2029.
What do you hope to learn or achieve during your internship here? I hope to learn and see how civil engineering positively impacts communities. I want to better understand engineering concepts from surveying sites to project design and management.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I enjoy playing soccer, basketball, going to the gym, and watching movies at the theater.
What’s your favorite snack? Popcorners.
Quinn Tweten
A native of Moorhead, MN, Quinn joins our Fargo team as an intern working towards a degree in construction engineering from North Dakota State University. He is expecting to graduate in fall 2027.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you about joining our team? How close it was and how comfortable I felt interviewing.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I like watching and playing sports and hanging out with friends.
Favorite snack: Dot’s Pretzels.
Rachel Jerzak
Rachel joins our Maple Grove team as a GIS intern working towards a degree in Biology and a certificate in Geography/GIS from the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. She expects to graduate in spring 2026.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you most about joining our team? I was drawn to HEI because my interviewers were welcoming and seemed like people I would want to work with. HEI values felt like they aligned with mine as being a place that cares about doing a good job while maintaining its employees’ morale. I’m excited to finally put my skills to the test and really focus more on building my GIS knowledge deeper, rather than scratching the surface of all things GIS and Geography.
Are you involved in any community organizations or volunteer work? If so, what do you enjoy about it? I have been involved in various volunteer opportunities where we have handed out food to the homeless in the Coon Rapids area, as well as organized and led events in high school, such as trash pickup around campus or letter-writing campaigns to lawmakers for climate action and advocacy.
What is your favorite fuel for staying energized (type of coffee, tea, energy drink, etc.)? I love it all. I have a cold brew every morning, but also love a Celsius, Bloom energy drink, any hot tea, or really any form of coffee.
Riley Ulmer
Riley grew up in Horace, ND, and joins our Fargo team as an intern working towards a degree in construction engineering from North Dakota State University. He expects to graduate in spring 2027.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you about joining our team? The team aspect approach drew me in. HEI sounds like a tight-knit group that enjoys working together to solve problems.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I enjoy anything related to the outdoors, from hunting and snowmobiling to spending time at the lake. Anytime I’m with my friends, it’s always a good time.
Favorite snack: Yogurt.
Zachary Corey
A native of Omaha, NE, Zachary joins our Omaha team as an intern working towards a degree in civil engineering from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is expecting to graduate in spring 2027.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you most about joining our team? I like the projects, size, and connected office. I also like the mix of field work and office work.
What do you hope to learn or achieve during your internship here? The opportunity to continue to figure out which parts of water resources I like and to build up the necessary skills to complete the work.
Are you involved in any community organizations or volunteer work? If so, what do you enjoy about it? I am involved in the Madagascar Team for Engineers Without Borders, and I enjoy using my technical skills, such as Excel and AutoCAD. I am also involved in the Engineers Without Borders fundraising team, and I enjoy using my soft skills for that, like presenting and networking.
Returning Interns!
The following interns are joining us for another summer to gain experience with our team. We’re thrilled to welcome these familiar faces to work on projects.
Peyton Trogstad
Peyton grew up in Fargo, ND, and joins our Fargo team as an intern working towards a degree in civil engineering from North Dakota State University. He is expecting to graduate in spring 2028.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you about joining our team? I worked in the Survey Department last summer and really enjoyed it, and learned a lot. I’m excited for the opportunity to work here again this summer.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? Hanging out with friends, golf, playing pickleball, and going to the lake.
What’s your favorite local business, restaurant, or event in your community? Boppa’s Bagels.
Keenan Kalhagen
Originally from Edmore, ND, Keenan joins our Fargo team as an intern working towards a degree in civil engineering from North Dakota State University. He is expecting to graduate in fall 2026.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you about joining our team? I enjoyed my time here last year, and I’m excited to expand to meet/work with more new people.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I enjoy spending time with friends doing stuff like disc golfing, bowling, gaming, and going to the Red River Zoo.
Favorite snack: Sunflower Seeds.
Julia Puhl
A native of Fargo, ND, Julia returns to our Fargo team as an intern working towards a degree in civil engineering from the University of Iowa. She is expecting to graduate in spring 2027.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you about joining our team? I was drawn to Houston Engineering because of the work done by HEI in the FM area, and I am excited to get to see and work on those projects!
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? Reading, pickleball, and spending time with friends and family.
What’s your favorite local business, restaurant, or event in your community? Blackbird Pizza.
Kyle McFadden
Kyle, originally from Woodbury, MN, has been working with our Maple Grove team during the school year and is continuing as a summer intern. He is pursuing a degree in Land Surveying and Mapping Sciences at St. Cloud State University and expects to graduate in fall 2026.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you about joining our team? I was drawn to HEI because of a recommendation from one of my professors. I am excited to join the HEI survey team and work towards becoming a licensed land surveyor. I hope to learn more about surveying and get some good hands-on experience in the field.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I enjoy hiking, biking, camping, and skiing during the winter.
Favorite snack: Cheez-Its.
Logan Kostrzewski
Originally from Karlstad, MN, Logan joins our Thief River Falls team as an intern working towards a degree in civil engineering from North Dakota State University. He is expecting to graduate in winter 2026.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you about joining our team? Both the projects they have and are working on, as well as the community, really excite me. I’m excited to learn what being an actual civil engineer is like by seeing others and being able to learn and do new things.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I absolutely love hiking and going for bike rides whenever I have time.
What is your favorite fuel for staying energized (type of coffee, tea, energy drink, etc.)? Dr. Pepper.
Nathan Sedlacek
Nathan, originally from Warren, MN, has been working with our Fargo team during the school year and is continuing as a summer intern in Thief River Falls. He is pursuing a degree in civil engineering from North Dakota State University. He is expecting to graduate in spring 2027.
What drew you to HEI, and what excites you about joining our team? I think it’s a great opportunity to learn further about engineering and what they do on a day-to-day basis.
What do you enjoy doing outside of work? I enjoy playing sports such as golf and basketball.
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