Emma Petrie

During my tenure at Fraser Thomas Ltd, I enthusiastically immersed myself in a comprehensive internship program, dedicating a total of 400 hours to augmenting my expertise in the realm of professional engineering. This invaluable experience not only served as a catalyst for expanding my theoretical knowledge but also provided me with practical insights into the intricacies of real-world engineering practices.

The immersive nature of the internship allowed me to witness firsthand the integration of theoretical concepts with practical application, detailed in the following description of my duties:

Fieldwork comprising:

• Installation and monitoring of groundwater piezometers as part of geotechnical investigation in support of a rezoning submission in order to enable future residential subdivision,
• Site walkovers and soil sampling investigations in support of the following:

(a) Detailed Site Investigation (DSI) in support of due diligence and future resource consent applications for a residential subdivision.

(b) Site validation of remedial works undertaken to remediate contaminated land prior to bulk earth works for subdivision.

• Construction observation including inspection/testing of subgrades and compacted fill for the construction of new dwellings and bulk earthworks,
• Preparation of Preliminary and Detailed Site Investigation (PSI/DSI) reports involving:

(a) Reviewing historical aerial imagery, council records, geology, district and regional plan requirements and investigating site histories,

(b) Reviewing laboratory results and assessing against criteria such as soil contaminant standards,

(c) Report writing.

• Providing CAD assistance to the civil engineering team on a large international project.
• Compiled and drafted NZS 3910 contract documents for civil components on a 30-lot subdivision, which included schedule of quantities, drawings, contract conditions and specifications.
• Prepared a concept design for a public stormwater main which involved hydraulic calculations, hydrological calculations and specifying materials for the stormwater network
• Provided assistance to environmental team on a large international project which involved helping to create a spreadsheet used to calculate site specific soil guideline values.

In essence, my internship experience at Fraser Thomas Ltd was transformative, serving as a pivotal juncture in my journey towards becoming a proficient and adept engineer.

During my job as a waitress at Bessie and Engineers, I work as one of the senior members of the team and keep my work to a very high standard. I have many reviews that compliment my work ethic and the standard I hold at this restaurant. Some other responsibilities I hold are;

• Keeping server areas clean and stocked to increase efficiency while working tables.
• Providing recommendations on menu items and upsold food and drinks to increase sales.
• Following health and safety regulations relevant to hospitality industry to minimize accidents, incidents and liability to restaurant.
• Training new waitstaff on proper food handling, customer service and safety procedures.
• Helping customers with dietary restrictions, allergies and intolerances by working closely with kitchen staff on alternatives.

This job has helped improve many qualities such as time-management, customer management skills and maintaining order and efficiency.

Working a job this big was a huge learning curve for me, as I travelled to the other side of the world by myself. There, I worked for a family with four daughters, aged 7 months, twins at 3 and a 5-year-old in this position I was expected to feed, bathe, clean the children, as well as running errands, taking them to school and nursery and driving them to locations it was an amazing experience, and while COVID made life difficult, I learnt so much about myself. In this position, I became a lot more responsible, independent and confident. A lot was expected of me, but the family loved my employment and I grew strong attachments to the family.

• I worked as a part-time lifeguard during my high school years
• It was a very full-on experience but I gained a lot of skills, as well as swim teaching, gaining my first aid certificate as well as PLPC (pool lifeguard practicing certificate) and also working as the register and handling money
• In my job, I had to be responsible and aware, as well as being friendly and welcoming to all customers that came into the facility
• A big part of the job was maintaining a healthy cleaning environment and I upheld that expectation very highly.