Thank you Steve Lau

Dear Steve Lau,

I would like to thank you for everything you did for me while I was an employee at SOHA Engineering Firm. I appreciate how you spent time talking with me every morning and was concerned about my well being as a young man . You were always someone I could talk to and your leadership values will always be respected by me . I didn't understand much about what to expect working at your firm  and was nervous, but you assured me that I would do fine and if I was struggling to come and speak with you. I was fortunate enough to learn and see first hand how successful firms operate. Learning and being involved with your great employees was the best part of being at your firm. Looking at your accomplishments on your wall every morning showed me what hard work can achieve. You are a fantastic leader and I want to be like you one day , even though its a hard task. Everyone around you recognizes your greatness and I will never forget you.

Every moment at your firm was a learning experience, whether it was completing projects for your team or going to job sites with Art to gain an understanding of how inspections and sites are ran. I enjoyed every moment at your firm and I know the skills I learned at your firm will make me a complete professional. I hope to one day be as successful as you. I will call you to personally thank you and I will make sure I remember all of the lessons Art and you taught me. I wish your firm nothing but success and I hope to see many more of your designs around California.

Sincerely,

your summer intern

Hameed Nuru

Amazing Opportunity at SOHA

Throughout my internship at SOHA Engineers, I learned many different skills that will lead to me being a better professional and human being. My internship with SOHA was an opportunity I will always appreciate and be grateful for. I learned the importance of paying attention to detail and the importance of communication. Within my internship there were many times where if I was wrong on my calculations or provided the wrong information it could derail the process of the engineers completing they're project on schedule. Early on within my internship my main supervisor Art Dell would always get on my case about the importance of being detail orientated and making sure I understood what was being asked of me. He was honestly, the best supervisor anyone could ask for. I felt he pushed me to the best I could be by demanding greatness from me. Multiple times he would make me re-do assignments because he's a perfectionist at heart. I definitely, learn mainly the importance of paying attention to detail and communication. It also was great that Art Dell showed me a lot about CAD drawing. I am very positive that Art Dell is the reason I was able to be successful this semester and a reason I was able to learn new skills that I always knew mattered but never quite mastered until this internship.  I am very lucky to have worked at SOHA Engineering firm.

            

Interning at SOHA Engineers

The organization I was lucky, enough to intern for is named SOHA Engineers. Interning at SOHA is an opportunity I am beyond grateful to participate in.  Working at SOHA was always a learning experience and management always allowed me to be involved in projects no matter how big the project was to the firm. What SOHA does is complete structural designs, seismic rehabilitation, historic renovation, seismic evaluation, peer review, plan checking, Shoring and Underpinning, and construction support. Its clear SOHA completes any project required, there isn't any project to big or to small for SOHA Engineers. SOHA employees are professionals who all have completed degree's in they're respected fields and have very much earned the right to represent SOHA. Being that I was around such qualified individuals, my role was mainly to assist with projects in anyway possible I was needed. I would sometime complete paperwork for projects and also go out to sites with Art Dell and work as his assistant. Overall, I would report to Art Dell and complete many projects he had prepared for me to complete. I enjoyed working with Art and I will always appreciate the opportunity I was given by Steve Lau to intern at SOHA Engineers, based in Northern California.

Possibilities

Throughout college its amazing to realize how many opportunities we really have. It seems like everytime one road closes a better one reveals itself. For example I started out in W.P Carey studying business with the idea of finishing and trying to be well of financially. It wasn't until I started really understanding the importance of college and actually trying to better peoples lives. I used to think college was mainly setup to help you get a job that mainly benefits you and your family financially but I don't think so. In my second year of college I started to wonder who I would benefit by making alot money and succeeding in getting my business degree? I couldn't think of anyone I'd be helping besides my family and myself. At this point I started to second guess my decision and had to really think about what I wanted to gain from ASU and life in general.

 I began to look into degrees that could help me give back to my community and learn more in the process. It wasn't until I visited the ASU Downtown campus that my thoughts found quality answers and possibilities. I was amazed by what was being offered at The Downtown campus and I felt that I could learn enough to help communities benefit from having me working with them. From my time at The Downtown ASU campus I was able to learn the true importance of helping communities and how if we don't step up who will.I'm very glad that I was able to learn how communities operate and what improvements all communities could use. Following goals I care more about has been much more fun than trying to pursue a degree due to financial gains. I am excited at the opportunity to serve my community when I graduate and be a difference maker with tons of possibilities at my feet

Career Week at ASU

Last week I was able to attend some events provided during Career Week at ASU. I found this week to be very helpful in preparation for life after college. I was able to learn more valuable job tools and understand more of what kind of options are available to me. At this point in time im still looking into graduate school or good job after college. Career Week at ASU served as a chance to network with individuals and companies that were present. Even though I wasn't able to find any opportunities after school , I was able to meet some very interesting people and learn more about the process of finding work after school. After last week I am even more certain that I will be looking to work for an non-profit agency or possibly local or state government. At this point im looking for an opportunity that allows me to interact with communities and really have the chance to understand current issues and possibilities. I wasn't able to find anything during Career Week but I did gain clarity, which is always helpful. I will most likely be going back to Career Services and see what else I should do to set myself up for sweet opportunity after school ends. I'm sure it will be hard to find the perfect opportunity, but I'm ready for the challenge!

Spirit Week at ASU

These week has been Spirit Week at ASU and has been very enjoyable so far. Even though I wasn't able to participate in all of the events and activities offered , I was lucky enough to take part in a few activities that were exciting and a great experience. My past Spirit Week's from the last few years have all been enjoyable but this year I was able to obtain more ASU themed items and sign up for more events to attend within this semester.

The best part so far, of this week was participating in the "wax hand" activity and being around my fellow Sun Devils. This weekend is sure to have more events that are sure to make this week a memorable one. On Friday, November, 13th the ASU Mens Basketball team plays against Sacramento State University. I look forward to attending that game and seeing our Men's team outperform the Hornets, within our Wells Fargo Arena. This game is significant to me because I wanted to go to Sacramento State University out of high school and as a kid I was very interested in Sacramento State University up until I became interested in ASU. If I didn't come to Arizona State University , I would have most likely, went to Sacramento State University. During this week is another chance for me to celebrate my choice in ASU and enjoy all the ASU events I can!

During my last Spirit Week at Arizona State University, I have done alot of reflection on my past Spirit Weeks and I look forward to embracing the remainder of events which also includes an "action packed" ASU football game versus Washington State and also a parade which should be fun. Overall, I will enjoy my last Spirit Week and do my best to participate and be involved with my classmates.

Demonstrating Public Service

I could go on for day's about how SOHA Engineers shows commitment and service to the public but I will only touch the base of the topic. Going back to its starting roots of 1965 , SOHA Engineers has strived to be creative and bring cost-effective project delivery to the communities it serves, rather in the Bay Area of San Francisco, Southern California or else where . For the last five decades or fifty years, SOHA Engineers has done its best to deliver quality effort and results that have easily, made communities look more attractive and modern. Not only has SOHA Engineers strived to create structures beneficial to communities but they have also worked hard to evaluate, maintain and rehabilitate existing structures and bridges rather they are historical structures or not.

SOHA Engineers have done plenty of projects that ultimately, service the community by either increasing its value, providing new resources through their completed projects and giving the community structures to take pride and represent as there own. Some of these projects include structures  completed at California State Universities or Colleges  such as; the  CSU Bakersfield Math and Science Building, Sonoma State University Student Center and CCSF Joint Use Academic Building. Those are some of their projects that have helped students be more successful academically. SOHA has helped communities by also completing structures that help serve justice , such as The San Francisco Public Safety Building, San Mateo County Correctional Facility, Fresno Juvenile Justice Campus and many more that were created to provide service to the community. Not only has SOHA built structures that help communities with academic and justice facilities but also transportation, laboratories, libraries , recreation centers and historic structures. Overall, SOHA serves the community through its efforts of providing  structures that aim to  enhance the overall beauty and respect for the communities it serves. SOHA Engineers plays a major role in the innovation of many communities within California .

Joint Use Academic Building, City College of San Francisco
(Below)


University Center, Sonoma State University
(Below)

This facility houses a cafeteria, restaurant, kitchen areas, bookstore, administrative offices and a new theater that will service the community very well.

The Day of October 8th 2015

Today, was a usual day for me as a student. I went to all my classes on time and spent alot of time doing homework. The one part of my day that was different was that I spent more time than normal reading news reports but with the purpose of trying to finding good stories that are enjoyable to read and not the usual crime and negative stories that are very easy to find.

The best report I read was about how Kenyan's and Canadian programmers plan to compete over Skype in a 28 hour "hackathon"  to try and improve Kenyans farms, health and also their access to education. Computer programmers on certain teams in Kenya and Canada will brainstorm on waysto better Kenya and also will write software to develop apps that aim to lessen poverty within Kenya. The apps created by the Kenyans and Canadians will also have blogs where people can talk about their situations and the what they've been through whether it about poverty issues or social injustice . The focus of the "hackathon" is to use technology as a force for social justice and change.

I mostly enjoyed reading about how Kenya and Canada are teaming up to try and solve problems that have been present for quite sometime without real change. Its great to see people working together to try and fix problems, but with alternative solutions than tried in the past. I feel like technology plays a major role in helping to end poverty around the world because its provides the best platforms for people to communicate and understand each other. In alot of struggling nations with high poverty rates they don't always have all the technology in place to erase problems like poverty but soon all nations will hopefully have the correct technology and use it as a powerful tool to solve problems.

The article I read can be found on Reuters.com and was very inspirational to me. Overall, I'd rather read a good story over a bad story any day out the week.

Fall Break

This coming week is the last fall break I will have before graduating. In the past I've been extremely , excited about fall break but this time im not only excited but also beyond  relieved that I'm one step closer to gaining an degree after all these years of hard work and persistence . Even though I always knew I'd graduate eventually, I still had doubt that these years would fly by like they have and I'd still be here . It literally, feels like just yesterday I was only a little freshmen enjoying my first fall break and was mainly focused on the moment and creating life long memories. This time is a different experience because even though I will still have a great time and fun break like all my past three fall breaks ,this one is more of a reflection time. All I can think about at this point is all the stuff I had to do and go through to get this far in life and whats next after this semester for me. 

During this break I will most definitely not be indoors at all given that the weather is absolutely perfect in the desert . I most likely will probably go fishing or do anything outdoors with this mini break of a few days that we have. Every break in the past was more of a celebration and a time to kind of wild out. This time is more special than past fall breaks, as this time is a time to make sure my graduation checklist is on point and to absolutely make sure enjoy the desert before I leave in January for The Bay Area .

My Time with Career Services

Last semester I went to the career services center at the Tempe campus to learn about opportunities and get some understanding whats next after I finish school and I really enjoyed my visit. When I went last semester I mainly just looked at internships and spoke to people about how to make sure my resume was up to standard and it was a great experience because I left the center feeling more optimistic than before I went into the career services center .Overall, I gained a better understanding for what kind of jobs are good for me and what careers suit my skills best. 

The career services center was very useful and i'm  glad ASU offers career assistance to current and graduated students. While at the career services center I completed some personal assessments and learned job search strategies. During my last year of school I plan to visit the career center more and attend some job events with the hope I can find some promising opportunity. As a senior my only regret is not being more involved with career services earlier on as a  young college student.  I feel I could have found some great opportunities and learned more about what it takes to get great job after school.  The good part is I plan to  take advantage of the the career services ASU provides and use it as a tool to help me perfect my interview skills and learn more about available positions that I qualify for. Within this stage of my schooling it feels great to know you have assistance getting to the next level of life.

The best activity

                                                        

I have alot of activities that I love to do during the week however on Sunday and occasionally Monday and Thursday nothing beats watching the San Francisco 49ers play. Since I can remember no team has meant more to me than the 49ers. Football isn't my favorite sport yet the 49ers are my favorite team in all sports. The reasons I support them are countless but I can name a few good reasons why I love them so much.

 The first reason why I love the 49ers is that I grew up in San Francisco and only one solid block from Candlestick Stadium ( the former home stadium of the 49ers ). Growing up extremely close to the stadium made it difficult to not be interested in the 49ers and want to learn about their history. One of the best feeling as a kid was always having the opportunity to see all the faithful 49er fans crowded in the streets in gold and red. The best part about seeing faithful fans crowded in the streets was that no matter if the 49ers won or lost the fans always seemed happy to witness the game and also were optimistic about future games, even if the 49ers got crushed. Growing up next to the stadium made me feel that me and the 49ers were not only from the same city but also the same community.

The second reason why I love the 49ers is because I used to play Pop Warner football for their youth team and used to think maybe one day I could play for them one day, if I ate my Wheaties . During that stage of my life when I thought I could play for the 49ers,  they weren't doing to good record wise and that only gave me more hope that I could change those terribly loses into some good wins one day! That thought eventually changed when the 49ers started winning and drafted some future legends such as Colin Kaepernick and Vernon Davis. Now that were starting to lose again maybe they could use me or we could just start winning again with our million dollar stars .
                                                

Those are just two reasons why I love the 49ers more than anyone else. I could go into the history and records set by our legends which include Joe Montana, Steve Young and my favorite of all time Jerry Rice but il save that for another blog . Alot of people have favorite teams and are great fans im sure but when you grow up right next to the team stadium and attend games weekly a real bond starts to form that can't be broken or replaced. I can't see myself supporting any other football team unless they relocate to San Francisco and even then my heart is still with the 5 time champion 49ers.

My name is Hameed Nuru and im a senior at Arizona State University. Im originally, from San Francisco, California but now reside in Tempe, Arizona. My major is Public Policy and I have a strong desire to use my degree to help people, once I graduate from ASU. Overall, I plan to use my skills and knowledge to benefit any community I am apart of. My goals include getting a good job after my internship, completing this blog and using my knowledge from this course to better my life after school.