Intern Sophia Levya's signature
By Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing
By the time four students arrived to sign a 43-foot construction beam destined to become part of the student section of USF鈥檚 new on-campus stadium, space was already scarce.
The 10,000-pound beam 鈥 displayed outside the Marshall Student Center so students could leave their mark on USF history 鈥 was nearly covered with names and messages, including graduation years, majors, Greek affiliations, 鈥淕o Bulls!鈥 and doodles of USF horns.
With little room left, those four students were forced to sign the beam鈥檚 undercarriage. Their names are easy to miss 鈥 but not to a sharp-eyed observer.
Among the thousands of signatures, theirs are the only ones marked 鈥淢CC-interns,鈥 a nod to their roles as stadium project interns for Manhattan Construction Co. 鈥 one of three firms serving as construction manager for the 35,000-seat stadium rising on the east side of campus.
鈥淭his has been an extremely exciting opportunity,鈥 said intern Logan Wakelin, a civil engineering major. 鈥淲e鈥檙e gaining valuable experience, but we also have the opportunity to be part of one of the biggest and most important projects in USF history.鈥
Julia Alcoforado, Logan Wakelin, Nicholas Reali and Sophia Leyva interning at Manhattan Construction for the on-campus stadium project [Photo by Paul Guzzo, University Communications and Marketing]
And the interns are doing meaningful work, said Pierce Valdes, Manhattan Construction鈥檚 project engineer overseeing the students.
鈥淲e had a lot of applications, but we carefully selected the four students we felt could best contribute,鈥 Valdes said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e not just giving them busy work. When they鈥檙e with us, they鈥檙e treated like full-time employees.鈥
Wakelin is part of the team designing the stadium鈥檚 interior.
鈥淲e help choose finishes like paint, flooring, countertops and fabrics,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 also help review and organize material samples so they can be approved before they鈥檙e installed.鈥
Sophia Leyva, a project management major, focuses on structural coordination in her internship, helping catch and resolve discrepancies in drawings before they reach construction crews.
鈥淚t鈥檚 what I want to do with my career,鈥 Leyva said.
Julia Alcoforado, a business major, works on the stadium鈥檚 envelope team 鈥 which is responsible for the parts that seal the building, including doors, windows and the roof.
鈥淢y internship involves reviewing project documents and supporting on-site operations to ensure construction progresses efficiently and aligns with design and project goals,鈥 she said.
A rendering of the new 35,000-seat stadium rising on the east side of USF's campus
Construction of the on-campus stadium coming in 2027 [Photo taken in March 2026]
Nicholas Reali, a mechanical engineering major, works on overhead coordination, helping ensure mechanical, electrical, plumbing and fire protection systems are properly planned before concrete is poured.
鈥淚t鈥檚 about making sure everything is called out in the drawings so you don鈥檛 have to break up concrete later,鈥 he said.
Each intern brings a different level of fandom to the project.
The interns sign met up to sign the beam together
Growing up in New Hampshire, Wakelin was a diehard New England Patriots fan, making work on a stadium a dream come true.
鈥淭his is so cool,鈥 she said. 鈥淚 can鈥檛 wait to walk in and know I played a small role in it.鈥
Leyva was raised a USF Bulls fan in Sarasota.
鈥淚鈥檇 been to games before I was a student,鈥 she said. 鈥淎nd I鈥檝e been to plenty as a student here.鈥
Alcoforado is from Brazil, where football means soccer, but she attended plenty of USF football games too.
鈥淲orking on something like this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity,鈥 she said.
Reali is the only one of the four who said he has never attended a USF football game.
鈥淚鈥檓 just not much of a sports fan,鈥 he said. 鈥淏ut I鈥檒l be at the first one in the new stadium, and I鈥檒l definitely be looking for the parts I know I worked on.鈥