PCSD Interns: First Day Experience

Who did you meet with today?

We met with the following people from Colliers and PCSD.

Colliers

Tony Burnett, Head of Office, Regional Managing Director

Rebecca Scalfaro, Senior Client Services Officer

Shayla Mellenthin, Marketing Manager

Gregory Hunter, Vice President

Pacific Charter School Development (PCSD)

Jennifer Afdahl Rice, Executive Director, Northern California

Where do they work? What does the company do?

Pacific Charter School Development is a real estate development firm; based on my takeaways from the experience, it is a non-profit company that helps out communities with local and convenient school sites, as well as providing support with funds for charter schools. In addition, PCSD advocates by managing the outlook of the design, finance, and construction of facilities.

PCSD works with Colliers. PCSD and Colliers are two separate companies with similar ideas; both companies have been able to promote progress in communities as well as impact the environment in a positive way. Both Colliers and PCSD have also worked to make the companies more inclusive and maintain a diverse work force. Colliers itself is a services investment management firm, which advises clients about real estate and the process behind it. Colliers is a collaborative company that works to help other companies like PCSD.  The firm provides support for other companies and different partnerships but all focus on making the community better. Ultimately these companies work to make a sustainable and elevated society.

What did you learn today? What were some highlights?

My experience was exceptional, I gained an understanding of the different fields related to design and architecture. Specifically, I highlight the perspective of being a broker. Brokers uphold a significant amount of responsibility at Colliers, which gained a majority of my attention. Moreover, the Colliers team also taught me a lot about the different requirements and opportunities that could allow us the ability to be able to work and involve myself in other careers related to their company.

What insights did you gain into the field of real estate development?

I had the ability to get a little more insight into the school's perspective on the different fields. Moreover, we got insight on how college would be a lot more beneficial to get a career related to real estate development, and the managing, marketing, etc. We discussed the correlation between different positions and the levels of education you might need; ultimately, we determined that 2-4 years of college experience is best.

What did you find the most interesting about the field after today?

Overall, I would say I was very intrigued by what everyone at Colliers and PCSD does.  Personally, I was pulled to the background of Vice President Gregory’s career at Colliers. It was similar to what I wanted to do which pulled my interest towards his position. The team in general all gained my attention, and all of the different fields they work for are just as similar to what I want to do after college. It was just so interesting to overall learn how much goes into the management and coordination of being a part of a company like Colliers.

Gregory and John Dunning showing Esteban and me a potential site.

Gregory discussing the site with Esteban and me.

Esteban and I talking about the site with Colliers.

Our first day with the PCSD internship.