Name: Caleb Christie
School/grade: Senior, Cedar Springs High School
Passion: Construction management
Cedar Springs — Caleb Christie loves to dream things up and use his hands to bring them into existence.
Most mornings, you can find the Cedar Springs High School senior in the shop room, measuring, hammering and drilling away, putting things together piece by piece.
Thanks to his years in shop, and summer construction jobs, Caleb is already something of a tradesman, but he’d like to learn how to wield his skills in a more supervisory capacity. And that’s exactly what he plans to do in the fall as a construction management major at Michigan State University.
“Building things with my hands, and being able to envision something and then go on to create it, has always been a passion for me,” Caleb told SNN. “Construction management is an avenue to take the passion that I have and also turn it into a career.
“That’s one of the main things that interests me: to get to do what I’ve always enjoyed, throughout high school and throughout life, and turn that into something I can do every day.”
How old were you when construction became something you wanted to pursue, and what’s the story there? Caleb has enjoyed building things since he was a child.
“I loved to play with Legos,” he said, “and me and my brother would build jumps for our dirt bikes — just moving the dirt around. It was always fun for us. We had a little tractor we’d push dirt with, and we just had the greatest time.”
He said being around his mechanic father also influenced him.
“That kind of kickstarted me into doing something like creating something, maintaining something, building something. … That’s kind of what opened up construction to me.”
Caleb got into construction in earnest a few years ago, and he found the field fascinating.
Any related accomplishments? “I’ve worked three different jobs in construction, varying from different trades. I’ve worked at a masonry company — I was a laborer there — so I would haul block for the masons, I’d make different cuts for them, we worked on various schools throughout Kent County.
“I also worked for a buddy of mine; his dad owns a construction company, so we did a lot of tree work, clearing trees for new builds. We’d install different flooring systems, or we’d hang drywall, just anything for those new homes that they were building. … Just basic, overall general construction. A lot of the experience I’ve had has been through those jobs. … Just a general construction experience.”
For an independent study project, Caleb is hand-building a shed in the high school shop room. It’s quickly coming together, and it should be done before graduation.
“I’ve been working on that throughout the second semester of my senior year, and that’s something I’m pretty proud of. It took a lot of time to try to figure (it) out by myself.”
He’s also in the process of earning a construction certification through the Skilled to Build Michigan program. The online program is teaching him about HVAC installation, framing, plumbing and general construction etiquette.
Is there a teacher or teachers who have had a big impact? “Mr. Ringler is probably a big one. He was the shop teacher for my freshman, sophomore and junior years. … Mr. Ringler, throughout high school, has always pushed me. He always said, ‘If you’re going to do something, do it right.’ That’s what motivated me to try and construct things at a higher level. Instead of just getting it done, trying to make sure it’s of quality and something I’d want to use or buy myself.”
Do you plan to pursue this professionally? Without missing a beat, Caleb responded with an enthusiastic “Yes.”
‘Building things with my hands, and being able to envision something and then go on to create it, has always been a passion for me.’
— Cedar Springs High School senior Caleb Christie
Envision yourself 10/20 years from now: “I hope to be in a project manager position in 10 years, whether that be a general contractor or a more specified contractor. Somebody who’s able to manage people but also working within timelines and trying to communicate with everyone and keeping the project on track.”
Other hobbies/interests: “Fishing’s probably my big one. I love to golf too.”
The biggest lesson you’ve learned from your involvement in construction is… “Always ask questions, whether you’re unsure or you’re trying to learn.”
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