When it looked like it might be necessary to change professions because of physical limitations, MCC provided Sean with the opportunity to excel and grow without veering from his chosen career path.

An Arizona native, Sean attended MCC from August 2018 to May 2021 earning an Associates of Applied Science degree in Construction Management. Before earning the degree “I worked in the field in several different construction trades, mostly underground pipelines for wet utilities (sewer, storm drain and water systems),” he says. But when he became physically unable to do the work, “the construction management program made it possible for me to continue to work in the industry.” MCC is one of only a handful of colleges offering a construction management program.

Today, Sean is the construction planning manager for Massage Envy Corporation, a provider of massage and skin care services across its franchise network throughout the United States. “When a new Massage Envy location is being built, is relocating or remodeling, I help coordinate the process by working with the franchisee, architect, contractors and vendors,” he explains, adding that these construction projects must meet specific Massage Envy standards in addition to those set by industry and the local municipalities.

The path to his current position wasn’t easy. At the time Sean enrolled in the construction management program as a full-time student, he was working part-time and was a single parent. While there wasn’t much time for campus activities, he nevertheless enjoyed the campus experience and professors. “I enjoyed the construction courses and the professors were very knowledgeable with a lot of relevant, real-life experience you can’t get out of a textbook.”

Support also came from other MCC staff members such as Construction Management Occupational Program Director Chevelle Frantz who referred Sean to his current manager at Massage Envy who had also been through part of the MCC construction management program and was impressed by it.

One of Sean’s favorite memories is a lab class, Foundations of Concrete, which examines the effects of concrete-making materials on the properties of fresh and hardened concrete. As a bonus, students can earn certification in these various processes. From this class, “I also earned a certification that I could actually use in the field!”

Sean resides in metro Phoenix.