Alonzo Lapitan wants to follow in his father’s footsteps by starting his own business, and he plans to build on his Virginia Tech experience to do so.
A member of the Class of 2021, the Virginia Beach native aspires to have his own construction firm one day. He majored in building construction to prepare.
“Going to college has always been a dream of both mine and my parents,” Alonzo said. “They both started working at the age of 19 so that they could raise me and never got the chance to go to college. Being a Beyond Boundaries Scholar has added to the responsibility I feel to make the most out of every moment and embrace every opportunity I have here at Virginia Tech, because I am no longer doing it for just myself; I am doing it for everyone who has helped me get to where I am today.”
Ann Marie Paul’s hands-on experience erecting sheds and eco-cabins during a high school class led her to major in building construction at Virginia Tech.
“I love it,” the native of State College, Pennsylvania, said of her university program. “It’s very different from my experience in high school because you get to see the project-management side. We just had two representatives from Whiting-Turner visit and talk about how large projects are broken down, like a 24-story hospital in downtown Baltimore.”
A 24-story hospital is a far cry from an eco-cabin, but Ann Marie, a member of the Class of 2022, said she is excited to build skills she can test on a larger scale.
“I think someday I want to manage big projects,” she said. “This is the right place for me, and I would not be able to be here without the generous Beyond Boundaries Scholars program. I really appreciate it.”
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