UNK Shines at the National Association of Homebuilders Student Competition

For Tessa Hamling and her team, this year’s National Association of Homebuilders Student Competition was a place to put what they’ve been learning into practice. Thanks to the focus on experiential learning offered by UNK’s College of Business and Technology, these students stood out among the best in their field.

Hamling, who is a junior, was the architect for this year’s team. As an interior and product design major with a minor in construction management, she explains how her love of design goes back several years. She shares that most of her childhood memories include “sketching floor plans, constructing cities in Minecraft, designing the interiors of (her) sisters’ Lego houses, and even attending open houses in (her) small town just for fun.” 

Although all her courses at UNK have helped her to prepare for her future career, she credits the semester projects in her studio classes for the confidence to present at the NAHB competition. 

Hamling’s involvement with the Students Interior Design Organization, Construction Management Organization, Honors Program, and Epsilon Pi Tau gave her skills such as leadership, time management, collaboration, and communication, all needed to succeed during the NAHB project. 

Avery Day, a current senior, served as project executive for this year’s team. As an interior and product design major with a minor in construction management, she can’t remember a time when she wasn’t “passionate about designing and building spaces.” She shares how she is “fascinated by how the built environment influences human behavior, well-being, and productivity.”

Day attended a STEM charter school where she was “exposed to hands-on learning experiences” that she credits for nurturing her “creativity and problem-solving skills.” She brought this zeal for experiential learning with her to UNK where she has “gained a deep appreciation for the intersection of design, construction, and human-centered spaces.” Her coursework at the CBT, combined with real-world experiences, has allowed her to “develop a strong understanding of materials, building systems, and sustainable design strategies.”

She appreciates how her involvement in campus organizations such as the National Home Building Team and Construction Management Club has provided her with “invaluable networking opportunities, project-based learning, and exposure to industry professionals.”  

Abby Mieras, who is in her final year at UNK, served as lead architect for this year’s team. She remembers at the age of four being “captivated” by a PBS game where she was able to design homes. Fast forward a few years and choosing interior design as her college major was what she describes as “an obvious choice.” She shares how the “hands-on industry experience” at UNK has helped her “appreciate the significant impact interior design has on the human experience.”  

Mieras mentions her studio courses where she gained hands-on experience with Revit as where she gained the most knowledge for the NAHB design process. She also shares how her “leadership experience as chapter president of Alpha Xi Delta sorority has been invaluable.” She appreciates how leading a team of “diverse individuals” sharpened her ability to “delegate, collaborate, and manage projects.” She believes these skills helped her to succeed at the competition due to the need to create “team-based design work.” 

Corynne Olsen, who is a junior, served as the team’s interior designer. She is an interior and product design major who, in her words, has “always had an eye for aesthetics and spatial organization” while still enjoying the “technical and hands-on side of design.” Like many of her teammates, her love of design stems from her childhood. She shares how, from a young age, she was “drawn to creative problem-solving” whether it was “building with Legos, flipping through design magazines, or watching home design shows.”

She is currently actively involved in several organizations, including the Student Interior Design Organization, Epsilon Pi Tau Honor Fraternity, and the International Interior Design Association. Through these experiences, she was prepared for the NAHB project and presentation thanks to the “leadership and communication skills” which allowed her to “effectively collaborate” with the team. 

Olsen believes the “experiential learning approach at UNK specifically prepared (her) for this opportunity” due to the hands-on experience and real-world industry knowledge which allowed her to “successfully apply (her) skills to the NAHB competition.” 

Megan Dang, who is currently a junior, was this year’s project manager. A construction management major, Dang’s “appreciation of the community” around her from a young age fostered her desire to be “involved in building structures for others.” 

She credits her experience with the Construction Management Organization for preparing her for the National Associations of Homebuilders Student Competition by helping her learn to coordinate with other team members. Specific classes such as Estimating and Materials and Methods provided her with “applicable construction knowledge for the competition.”

Dang explains how the competition itself “consists of many working parts” that requires a team to communicate effectively. The experiential learning that she was exposed to as a CBT student was helpful as she believes it prepared her to “understand and apply concepts of both design and construction to the project.” She feels this gave the UNK team a “solid foundation” to thrive at the competition as well as be prepared to enter their chosen profession.  

Nathan Engel, a junior who plans to graduate in December of 2026, was the site superintendent for this year’s team. He is majoring in construction management, a choice he made when he observed his father at work and “found building things and being able to appreciate what you built rewarding.” He credits his construction management classes for giving him a “great understanding on how any project can be delivered and priced.”

He explains that the level of work that took place before the competition happened was intense. He shares that his team had to “work for basically a whole semester to put a 20-page proposal together.” In addition, they had to put together both an estimate and a proposal. He believes working on this team enhanced his knowledge about residential construction. 

Colin Miller, who is currently a junior, was this year’s estimator at the competition. He is a construction management major who chose his field because he enjoys “building things and like seeing buildings go up.” He credits his involvement with the Construction Management Organization as giving him the skills he needed to plan, organize, and work as part of a team. He credits these skills, along with the critical thinking skills he was taught in his classes, for helping him succeed at NAHB.

Rounding out this year’s NAHB team from UNK were Kambree Mockenhaupt, a senior who served as an interior designer and Kade Nolan, a senior who served as the quality assurance engineer. 

The National Association of Homebuilders Student Competition is designed to allow students to work with industry professionals. This opportunity to enhance critical thinking and develop new skills is just one more example of the benefits of UNK’s experiential teaching style. It’s no surprise that the College of Business and Technology students stood out as the best of the best this year. The focus on team-building and collaborative learning solidified what is taught at the College of Business and Technology every day.

This year’s NAHB team would like to extend a special thanks to Professor Burgoon for “always being insightful and challenging (them) throughout the project.” They would also like to express gratitude to the Kearney Home Builders Association for their support which included traveling to Las Vegas to watch the UNK team’s final presentation in person. This type of support from UNK and the local community was greatly appreciated by all members of the team.