Four Students Selected for Summer Internship Program

Student Interns Nikolas Heath, Jameson Cluver, Juan Henriquez-Hernandez, and Martha Jane (MJ) Hooper

Four collegiate students have been selected for summer internships with L.I. Smith & Associates (LIS). For the duration of the summer, they will complete internships in the Civil Engineering, Land Surveying, and Marketing fields.  

The students represent the University of Tennessee at Martin (UTM) and Lipscomb University (LU). This will be the first time LIS has offered internships at its branch office located in Nashville.  

“By expanding the internship program to Nashville, we have had the opportunity to hire not only three impressive students from West Tennessee, but an additional student from Middle Tennessee, as well,” stated Ashley Horn, Vice President of Marketing and Communications. “I look forward to working with these students and discovering the skills and knowledge they have learned from their respective universities.” 

Jameson (Maluke) Cluver and Juan Henriquez-Hernandez are each new additions to the LIS team. Henriquez-Hernandez will be the first student intern to work full-time in LIS’ Nashville branch office, while Cluver will join returning interns Nikolas Heath and Martha (MJ) Hooper at the Paris office.  

“While I am here at LIS, I am excited to learn more about the engineering and surveying field and how they correlate,” stated Cluver. “I was drawn to this industry because I was born in Haiti and there was bad earthquake, so I want to build safer houses and infrastructures for people.” 

Civil Engineering Intern, Cluver (UTM), will assist the engineering team with projects in a variety of disciplines, including but not limited to land development projects with major tasks such as stormwater management, environmental permitting, and utility design.  

Henriquez-Hernandez (LU) and Heath (UTM) will each complete land survey internships, in which they will spend the majority of their time working on survey crews with an experienced Party Chief. The pair will also spend time in the office performing general design and clerical survey duties and will gain experience in AutoCAD drafting. 

Henriquez-Hernandez commented, “I became interested in LIS when they visited my school and the tools and gadgets they presented to me piqued my curiosity. I knew immediately that my internship at this organization would help me reach my goals.” 

Marketing and Communications Intern, Hooper, will also be returning to the Paris office for the summer term, after working remotely for the fall and spring semesters. She will resume administration of the staff photo content and continue her role in managing LIS’ social media presence.  

LIS President Patrick Smith commented, “The internship program provides energy and inspiration for our staff. I have truly been thrilled with the use of interns. This is largely due to the quality of interns and our staff’s diligence.” 

The LIS student internship program was launched in the fall of 2021, with this year’s group being the first to work in the company’s branch office in Nashville. The students will learn from experienced industry professionals while gaining hands-on experience in their chosen fields of study. Vice President, Chris Conrad, Professional Engineer, Nathan Grasfeder, and Professional Land Surveyor, Mason Peale, along with Horn will serve as staff mentors in the internship program. 

The internships are paid positions, but also provide the option for students to receive college credit upon completion. For more information about the LIS internship program, visit our website at www.lismith.com/join-our-team/ or contact Horn at ahorn@lismith.com.