Extra Space Storage recently had the pleasure of welcoming our Project Destined interns to Salt Lake City, UT. Project Destined partners with leading real estate firms and universities around the country to provide diverse students with internship opportunities in real estate. We were thrilled to work with ten of these talented students. During their time in Utah, they had the chance to tour one of our stores, spend time with leaders at the corporate headquarters, and see some of the beautiful Salt Lake City sites. Their internship culminated in a commercial real estate pitch to a panel of judges, outlining an Extra Space Storage facility expansion. Their presentation was outstanding, and they received second place overall! Congratulations to each of these bright students on a job well done.
Before they concluded their time with us, we asked each of them to share something about their experience with Extra Space Storage and visiting Salt Lake City, UT. Here’s what they had to say.
Alexis Barber – Arizona State University, Marketing
Q: What has been your favorite part about working with the Extra Space Storage team?
A: My favorite part of being on #TeamExtraSpace has been the culture. The mentors and company executives have been nothing but welcoming and have been a tremendous asset to our team. I have enjoyed learning about their backgrounds and stories and hope to continue to work with them long after the summer semester ends.
Carla Vidrios – University of Washington, Architecture
Q: What has been your biggest takeaway from this experience so far?
A: Although this experience is focused on real estate and properties, my biggest takeaway has actually been to ask questions! I’ve always struggled to put myself out there and ask questions due to the fear of seeming less intelligent than those around me, but this experience has helped a lot with that. I’m learning from people like our mentors that asking questions will only get you farther and that most of the time people will be more than happy to help you.
Destiny Lizarraras – University of Washington, Business Admin & Marketing
Q: What has been your favorite part about working with the Extra Space Storage team?
A: I have enjoyed learning about storage real estate, rather than the real estate we typically see, such as family homes and apartment complexes. It was great to learn about the different options real estate provides. I also really enjoyed connecting with those at Extra Space Storage and my team!
Jessica Chang – University of Calgary, Finance
Q: How did you like visiting Salt Lake City, UT?
A: I loved Salt Lake City! The proximity to the mountains was amazing, and the weather was perfect. I want to thank Extra Space Storage and our wonderful mentors for taking time out of their busy schedules to personally take us up to the mountains and tell us more about the city and all it has to offer!
Katherine Quach – Macaulay Honors College at Baruch College, Marketing Management
Q: How was your experience meeting the Extra Space Storage executive team?
A: The Extra Space Storage executive team was very warm and welcoming during our office visit. I had a wonderful time chatting with the team and hearing all of us laugh together during the lunch we had. The interactions between the executive team and our interns speak volumes about the culture and environment of the Extra Space Storage workplace—making the company an appealing post-graduation employer.
Kidus Jalele – University of Washington, Business & Economics
Q: What did you enjoy about the site visit?
A: I enjoyed both the site tour and the headquarters tour. It was great to meet the team and learn from their experience. Also, our mentors took the time to show us a ski resort where we admired Utah’s beautiful landscapes.
Matheus Medeiros – Brigham Young University, Economics
Q: What has been your biggest takeaway from this experience so far?
A: If you have an idea that you think will contribute to improving a project, you should speak up. What I have noticed so far is that the student’s voices and ideas matter, and the professionals are very open to listening to what we have to say. As a student, I am feeling very comfortable working with Project Destined and Extra Space Storage, because they teach us while we execute our tasks. Another important takeaway is that the real estate industry is not only constrained to finance students. It is a field in need of any brilliant, creative, and strategic mind that wants to increase value. Extra Space Storage taught me about the potential of the self storage industry and how relevant it is for the local economy in Salt Lake City and everywhere else it is located. And it is also a company that can and will keep expanding with innovative business methods
Samuel Alemayhu – University of Washington, Finance & Economics
Q: How did you like visiting Salt Lake City, UT?
A: The trip to Utah was an inspiring and eye-opening experience in the real estate and storage business. I enjoyed learning about acquiring property, renovating property, and the self storage business. I really liked going through the office and talking to Extra Space Storage employees about their roles and experiences.
Tyler Mire – Arizona State University, Project Management
Q: What did you enjoy about the site visit?
A: My favorite part about the site visit was seeing the headquarters and how great of a work environment Extra Space Storage has. It was a friendly atmosphere with a lot of collaboration.
Willy Yeh – Carnegie Mellon University, Economics & Statistics
Q: What has been your favorite part about working with the Extra Space Storage team?
A: The Extra Space Storage team is amazing. My teammates all come from diverse backgrounds, but despite not knowing each other and only seeing each other once physically, we were able to come together and complete this really cool project. My program managers are amazing as well. They are always on top of deadlines and give us a lot of pointers and advice on steps to take to maximize our chances of success. Last but not least, our mentors from Extra Space Storage are always available whenever we have questions about the project and extremely patient with us, which is very helpful and kind of them.
Interested in joining the Extra Space Storage team? Search for job opportunities at careers.extraspace.com.
