Merlos-Campos finds his path in GTCC’s construction management program, gaining hands-on experience

“Since the GTCC construction management program is built around students being able to work and go to classes it opens up opportunities for students to work during the day and have classes during the evening,” said Merlos-Campos.

Rossember Merlos-Campos struggled to find the right college and career fit. First kinesiology. Then history. Followed by a year-and-a-half break.

The first-generation college student was undeterred, though.

“I didn’t want to quit on myself,” he recalls. “I had a moment of realization that I needed to try to figure out what I wanted to do and really figure out what I wanted to study so I took a year and half off to figure it out.”

And he did, landing in GTCC’s construction management program and in the process earned an internship with Rodgers Builders, a general contractor and construction manager serving the southeastern United States for over 60 years.

“During this break from school, I was working a regular nine-to-five job at a call center. I kind of felt lost as to where life would take me,” Merlos-Campos said. “It was during this break that I learned that I liked learning about systems in a home and how they all worked together. That’s where construction came into my head.”

Merlos-Campos went to work researching construction programs at community colleges in Greensboro, Durham and Raleigh.

“That’s when I came across the construction management program at GTCC and saw how the different classes hit very specific programs in construction, not just broad overviews. The GTCC construction management program goes very in depth.”

With the discovery of the GTCC construction management program, Merlos-Campos finally felt like he had found his place. After graduating from Riverside High School in Durham in 2020, Merlos-Campos originally attended Mars Hill College where he played lacrosse. But Mars Hill, located near Asheville, N.C., was too far from home and family. He transferred to the University of North Carolina Greensboro where his college uncertainty continued.

“I went to UNCG and didn’t have an idea of what I wanted to do. I bounced around with a bunch of different majors. I started in kinesiology … that’s all I knew, working with athletes. After a couple of classes, I knew I wasn’t the best at science,” he said.

“I left that program and studied history for a bit because I just love history. Then I had another moment where I realized I loved history but wasn’t sure I wanted to do it as a full-time career, but rather just continue to read and study for fun.”

He followed with a few classes in UNCG’s business program and then decided it was time for a break and recalculation.

Now, he’s only two semesters from receiving an associate in construction management from GTCC.

“I came to GTCC not having the best history of being a student. I wasn’t very guided as to what being a good student was like. It was a learning experience for my parents and me,” said Merlos-Campos. “Coming into GTCC I didn’t want to be the same student as I was before. I finally found an industry I had a passion for; one I wanted to learn. Now going to class is something I very much look forward to.”

Merlos-Campos enjoys the best of both worlds with the internship with Rodgers Builders. He’s on a construction site during the day and can take classes at night.

“Since the GTCC construction management program is built around students being able to work and go to classes it opens up opportunities for students to work during the day and have classes during the evening,” said Merlos-Campos.

Merlos-Campos began the internship with Rodgers Builders in May, and it was scheduled to run through August, but he will be able to continue as a part-time employee for the duration of his degree work at GTCC.

Merlos-Campos' onsite work for Rodgers had been at the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist facility in Greensboro, a 134,000 square foot project with five levels. His time there, Merlos-Campos says, has been invaluable in preparing him for a career in construction management.

“I’m a field engineer intern, and my primary role is to assist the superintendent and field coordinator on-site with any tasks in the field that need attention,” explained Merlos-Campos. “There is a lot of communication with laborers and sub-contractors in the field. Which is honestly the biggest reason I enjoy what I do, being able to help and almost be a mediator.

“There are moments in the field where specialty systems or terminology is used and it clicks in my head, that we’ve talked about that in class. It’s giving me a real-life example from something we’ve discussed in the classroom.”

And that’s the perfect example of GTCC’s construction management program making the real-world connection from classroom to job site.

“The delivery of the program at GTCC just helps with so much. It really doesn’t feel like a traditional classroom,” said Merlos-Campos. “All of the work that we do at school is group work, so it enables us to sharpen our communication and teamwork skills which is huge on a construction site. Reputation is a big factor in the industry and being able to successfully communicate and collaborate with others in the field is key.”

For more information on GTCC’s construction management program, visit gtcc.edu/academics/academic-programs/programs/manufacturing-transportation-construction/construction-management.php.