Most kids grow up loving Disneyland because—let’s face it—it’s endlessly entertaining. But as a kid, PE Intern Christian Avendano didn’t love Disneyland for its adrenaline-pumping rides or abundance of fictional lands. Above all else, he loved the way it made people feel.
“I've always wanted to create a place that makes people feel happy and safe,” he says. “When I was a kid, my dream was to become an Imagineer (the designers, engineers, and builders of Disney’s theme parks) and create places that people would enjoy and look forward to returning in the future.”
As he got older, he realized construction would combine his desire to positively impact people’s lives with his lifelong fascination with how things are built—a perfect career path. Today, he’s a civil engineering major at CSU Northridge (CSUN) hoping to one day build spaces that drive community growth and professional innovation while feeling like a second home to its occupants. And he’s not afraid of the work it’ll take to get there.
Last year, Christian was the project manager of CSUN’s American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Timber-Strong Design-Build, an annual competition that tasks student teams with designing and building an “artistically creative two-story wood light-framed building that is sustainable, aesthetically pleasing, and structurally durable.”
It was the largest, most collaborative and complicated project he’d ever worked on—and by far the most rewarding.
“I enjoy construction and planning the future of any project, but the complexity of large projects draws me in because it gives me a new challenge to overcome and learn from with my teammates,” he says. “I learned first-hand that you need to work as a team to develop the best approach. Working with others always keeps me inspired because we’re figuring it out together.”
Now that he’s a PE intern at the LAX Wayfinding Enhancement Project (WEP), the value of teammates’ perspectives and insights has become clearer than ever—especially when it comes to potential flaws in his process. Already, these last three weeks at LAX WEP have taught him the value of keeping an open mind and thoughtfully absorbing others’ ideas, thoughts, and suggestions.
Over the next couple months, he looks forward to supporting construction experts in the field and taking care of anything and everything his project managers throw his way, including mapping out areas in LAX, surveying different locations along the terminals, and creating documents for LAWA officials.
“This is my first internship, so I’m excited to finally get some hands-on experience and really start envisioning my career,” he says. “This is an amazing opportunity to learn while contributing to a major LA aviation project in a meaningful way.”
Working in an airport setting has given Christian a unique appreciation for the expert design and engineering that’s gone into delivering LAX. His first week, he took a guided tour of the project that gave him the chance to soak in all the details he’d overlooked for years as an LAX traveler. “I loved walking the terminals and viewing all the art while surveying the area,” he says.
Next fall, he’ll return to CSUN as the 2025—2026 president of ASCE’s CSUN student chapter. The expectations will be high, but he knows he’s ready. And once he’s completed his internship at LAX WEP, he’ll be more prepared to lead the CSUN chapter than ever before.
Until then, however, he’ll be keeping busy at LAX WEP on weekdays and enjoying Disneyland trips, swim days at the beach, video games, and exploring the outdoors on weekends:
“I love hiking up different mountains and exploring scenic areas throughout California with my CSUN friends!”
