Build Up High School Internship Expands to Boost Diversity in Construction

Seattle, October 13, 2025

News Summary

DPR Construction’s Build Up program is growing, offering paid, eight-week internships that give high school juniors and seniors hands-on exposure to construction management, technology and business skills. Accessible to low-income and first-generation students, the program pairs interns with professionals on active job sites and trains them on industry tools like BIM 360 and Primavera. Build Up emphasizes mentorship, public speaking and career pathways, with cohorts that reflect greater gender and socioeconomic diversity than the industry norm. The program aims to prepare students for college and careers while making the construction workforce more inclusive.

Summer internships grow pathways into construction; local startup raises $10M; Reign adds attacking firepower

Three separate developments in the region spotlight workforce pipelines, new technology bets and pro sports roster building. At the top: a long‑running high school internship program at a major contractor expanded again in 2025, offering full‑time summer work and paid wages to dozens of teens. Also this year a small local startup raised a $10 million seed round to build emotionally aware AI, and a professional women’s soccer club signed a 24‑year‑old forward to a multi‑year deal that strengthens its attack.

Build Up High School Internship: hands‑on routes into construction

The Build Up High School Internship program is run by DPR Construction and returned this summer with 31 interns across the company in 2025. The program offers teens hands‑on exposure to the construction industry by placing them alongside seasoned professionals on notable projects. Launched in 2017, Build Up calls itself a model for how construction firms can invest in the next generation and make the industry more inclusive.

The internship lasts eight weeks and is a paid position designed for high school juniors and seniors. Interns spend their summer immersed in the realities of construction management and learn about project planning, construction technology and the wide variety of roles available in the construction field. Interns work full‑time during the internship and earn competitive hourly wages, with access aimed toward students whose family income meets HUD low‑income standards and toward students who may be the first in their families to attend college.

Since inception (2017), Build Up has introduced more than 160 students to the construction industry. About 22% of Build Up participants return later as college interns, and several participants have gone on to join DPR full‑time. The program reports that seventy‑five percent (75%) of Build Up interns plan to be first‑generation college students, and almost half are young women — a noteworthy balance given the industry’s history of underrepresenting women.

The curriculum goes beyond technical training to cover business skills such as communication, time management and navigating a professional environment. Interns are exposed to every facet of the jobsite, from safety procedures to the latest construction software and technology. Many gain experience with industry‑standard tools, including BIM 360, CMIC, HammerTech and Primavera, giving them a head start in college and future careers.

DPR treats high‑school interns with the same respect as college‑aged interns and positions the program as more than just a summer job — it’s a launchpad for a future in the construction industry. Community leaders at DPR emphasize a continued commitment to broadening possibilities for talented high school students who might not otherwise have access to professional internships. Program success is measured in student stories as well as numbers.

Local example: a path from curiosity to engineering

A Seattle participant illustrates how the program can open doors. Selome Muruts first joined Build Up as a high school intern in 2023 after learning about the program through ACE mentorship. Curious about large projects in the city, and motivated by daily views of a major convention center expansion, Muruts connected with project engineers, superintendents and safety managers and received steady mentorship. After a second high‑school internship she returned as a college intern, working with Preconstruction and Virtual Design and Construction teams while pursuing a civil engineering degree at the University of Washington.

Nuance Labs raises $10 million to pursue emotional AI

A four‑person startup called Nuance Labs recently raised $10 million in funding led by Accel, with participation from Lightspeed and South Park Commons. Founded earlier in 2025, Nuance chose to build in Seattle rather than relocate to San Francisco and is currently working out of a growing local startup community called Foundations. The company recently added two employees and plans to move into a new office in downtown Seattle.

Nuance is developing an AI system capable of understanding and expressing emotion in real‑time across multiple modalities. Its technical approach models tiny slices of human behavior — small pauses or subtle facial shifts — using auto‑regressive transformers to mimic behavior one frame or token at a time, rather than leaning on large generalized language models. The company says this focus allows more economical training and faster performance and envisions consumer applications such as AI avatars that see and respond to users, software that analyzes emotions during video calls, and an API for services like AI therapists.

The startup’s leadership includes a co‑founder and CTO with a PhD from the University of Washington and a co‑founder with a PhD in robotics and machine learning. The founders say they found strong technical talent in the local market, decided to remain in Seattle, and want to help build more startup support locally.

Seattle Reign signs forward to 4.5‑year deal

The Reign announced the signing of Mia Fishel on a 4.5‑year contract. The 24‑year‑old forward joins from Chelsea FC and the U.S. Women’s National Team, bringing hold‑up play, timed runs, finishing and crossing to a roster that mixes veterans and rising stars. The club previously added an all‑team leading NWSL scorer and USWNT player, and current roster names include experienced internationals alongside promoted young players.

Young talents on the roster include players who earned monthly Best XI honors, a midfielder who recently received a USWNT call‑up, and a goalkeeper regarded among the top in the league. The Reign return to action at Lumen Field on Sunday, July 20 in an international friendly against Urawa. Single‑match tickets for that fixture are available, and the club’s schedule also lists a Pride Match on Friday, August 1 against Angel City and a “Queen’s Match” on Monday, August 18 against Chicago Stars FC.

Quick facts

• The Build Up High School Internship program is run by DPR Construction.
• Build Up launched in 2017.
• Build Up is an eight‑week internship.
• Build Up is a paid internship.
• It is designed for high school juniors and seniors.
• Since inception (2017), Build Up has introduced more than 160 students to the construction industry.
• 22% of Build Up participants return later as college interns.
• In 2025, the program welcomed 31 interns across the company.
• Interns earn competitive hourly wages.
• The program is accessible to students whose family income meets HUD low‑income standards.
• Seventy‑five percent (75%) of Build Up interns plan to be first‑generation college students.
• Almost half of Build Up interns are young women.
• Named industry tools interns gain experience with: BIM 360, CMIC, HammerTech, and Primavera.
• Diane Shelton is DPR’s Community Initiatives Leader.
• Selome Muruts first joined Build Up as a high school intern in 2023.
• Nuance Labs is a 4‑person startup.
• Nuance recently raised $10 million.
• The $10 million round was led by Accel.
• Lightspeed participated in the round.
• South Park Commons also invested in the round.
• Nuance was founded earlier in 2025.
• Nuance chose to build in Seattle.
• Edward Zhang is a co‑founder and CTO of Nuance.
• Fangchang Ma is a co‑founder of Nuance.
• Nuance is developing an AI system capable of understanding and expressing emotion in real‑time across multiple modalities.
• Nuance does not have any Seattle investors on its cap table.
• The company plans to move into a new office in downtown Seattle.
• The Reign announced the signing of Mia Fishel on a 4.5‑year contract.
• Mia Fishel is a forward for Chelsea FC and the U.S. Women’s National Team.
• Mia Fishel is 24 years old.
• Reign FC returns to action at Lumen Field on Sunday, July 20 in an international friendly against Urawa.
• The Reign’s annual Pride Match was scheduled for Friday, August 1 against Angel City.
• The Reign scheduled a new “Queen’s Match,” honoring the legendary 1985 national team, against Chicago Stars FC on Monday, August 18.

FAQ

{
“@context”: “https://schema.org”,
“@type”: “FAQPage”,
“mainEntity”: [
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “What is the Build Up High School Internship program?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “The Build Up High School Internship program is run by DPR Construction.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “When did Build Up launch?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Build Up launched in 2017.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “How long is the internship and who is it for?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Build Up is an eight‑week internship. It is designed for high school juniors and seniors.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “Is the internship paid?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Build Up is a paid internship and interns earn competitive hourly wages.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “How many students have participated?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Since inception (2017), Build Up has introduced more than 160 students to the construction industry. In 2025, the program welcomed 31 interns across the company.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “What tools do interns get experience with?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Named industry tools interns gain experience with: BIM 360, CMIC, HammerTech, and Primavera.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “Who leads community work at DPR?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Diane Shelton is DPR’s Community Initiatives Leader.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “What startup raised $10 million?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Nuance Labs is a 4‑person startup. Nuance recently raised $10 million. The $10 million round was led by Accel. Lightspeed participated in the round. South Park Commons also invested in the round. Nuance was founded earlier in 2025. Nuance chose to build in Seattle.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “What does Nuance build?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “Nuance is developing an AI system capable of understanding and expressing emotion in real‑time across multiple modalities. Nuance does not have any Seattle investors on its cap table. The company plans to move into a new office in downtown Seattle.”
}
},
{
“@type”: “Question”,
“name”: “Who did the Reign sign?”,
“acceptedAnswer”: {
“@type”: “Answer”,
“text”: “The Reign announced the signing of Mia Fishel on a 4.5‑year contract. Mia Fishel is a forward for Chelsea FC and the U.S. Women’s National Team. Mia Fishel is 24 years old.”
}
}
]
}

Key features table

Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic

Additional Resources

• Daily Journal of Commerce: Build Up High School Internship (DPR)
• Wikipedia: DPR Construction
• The Seattle Times: Mayor Harrell proposes limiting a process that delays new construction
• Google Search: Mayor Harrell construction appeals process Seattle
• GeekWire: Ex-Apple PhDs raise $10M to build an AI foundation model that understands emotion (Nuance)
• Google Scholar: emotional AI multimodal emotion recognition
• The New York Times: Seattle skybridge houses ADU
• Encyclopedia Britannica: Accessory dwelling unit
• Reign FC: Reign FC continues to build young core with addition of Fishel
• Google News: Mia Fishel Reign

Author: Construction CA News

The CALIFORNIA STAFF WRITER represents the experienced team at constructioncanews.com, your go-to source for actionable local news and information in California and beyond. Specializing in "news you can use," we cover essential topics like product reviews for personal and business needs, local business directories, politics, real estate trends, neighborhood insights, and state news affecting the area—with deep expertise drawn from years of dedicated reporting and strong community input, including local press releases and business updates. We deliver top reporting on high-value events such as the Rose Parade, Coachella, Comic-Con, and the California State Fair. Our coverage extends to key organizations like the California Building Industry Association and Associated General Contractors of California, plus leading businesses in technology and entertainment that power the local economy such as Apple and Alphabet. As part of the broader network, including constructionnynews.com, constructiontxnews.com, and constructionflnews.com, we provide comprehensive, credible insights into the dynamic landscape across multiple states.