Competition and Scholarships Help Concrete Management Majors Solidify Their Foundations
A trio of undergraduates studying concrete industry management at New Jersey Institute of Technology, which is one of only five colleges nationwide offering a B.S. in that field — earned special recognition this semester in competitions and scholarships.
Anthony Zacieracha, a sophomore from Mountainside, and Kaylin Rodriguez, a junior from Elizabeth, both earned recognition at the industry’s World of Concrete annual conference in Las Vegas earlier this semester. Zacieracha led a student team that won a skateboard park design contest, while Rodriguez took home a scholarship. Another student, junior Iyanna Lloyd earned a corporate scholarship.
“Anthony, Kaylin and Iyanna are very successful CIM students,” said Associate Prof. Mohamed Mahgoub, director of the concrete management program within NJIT’s Newark College of Engineering. “They are very dedicated and great team players. They pay so much attention to details and practice everything several times a day. They do not leave anything for errors or chances.”
Zacieracha along with classmates Ahmad Afzali and Andrew Koprowski built an 80-pound model of a skate park, competing on technical merits against peers from California State University, Chico and Middle Tennessee State University. Zacieracha led the casting and made their presentation. Afzali and Koprowski assisted with casting the final version, designed the paint job and added custom railings.
Zacieracha said he learned from a critical mistake that he made during the park design phase. Getting ahead of what he’s studied in the classroom so far, he accidentally made a cast that would have led to a concrete version of the outside of the skate park, instead of the park itself.
For their efforts, the team members took home $500 each and a custom board autographed by professional skater Mike McGill, famous for his 540-degree stunt called the McTwist. Zacieracha said his share will help with school, and that his next goal is to conquer the American Concrete Institute competition which has a much bigger field. He and both teammates also hold scholarships from the Northeast Concrete Industry Management Patrons Association.
The concrete skate park model. Students added the NJIT Makes sign.
Rodriguez qualified for the industry’s $2,500 Bob Weatherton scholarship after interning at Silvi Materials, a university partner. “What I did there was quality control. My main role was doing submittals," she explained. "And the way I explained it to people is, like a boarding pass, it has all the information on it that an engineer or contractor would need to know about the concrete they're about to pour. What air is in it, the slump, which is just the workability of the concrete and the water/cement ratio. It really did tie into NJIT, because I learned all of that in the classroom,” she explained.
“I was able to take what I learned in the classroom and put it into the real world, which was really cool for me. … When it came to the scholarship, I had to make a presentation all about my internship. I was against 12 other people.”
"During her summer internship at Silvi Materials, Kaylin quickly distinguished herself as a high‑performing and dependable team member,” added Jake Ables, director of sales at Silvi and an adjunct instructor in the NJIT concrete management major. “Kaylin consistently exceeded expectations in this role. Her positive attitude, professionalism, and strong work ethic were key contributors to her success and made a meaningful impact on our team. We are proud to congratulate Kaylin on this well‑deserved award."
Rodriguez didn’t know what she wanted to do as a Union County College student taking general education courses. But she always enjoyed building things, and her sister Josmeli Jaquez is an NJIT alumna, so she looked into the university and discovered the concrete management program. Her parents, both from the Dominican Republic, were skeptical. However, “I kept pushing through, and I've been able to prove to them that this is a good career for me,” she said.
Lloyd is a junior from Paterson. She received $2,000 from CarbonCure after submitting her essay on the role of concrete in environmental sustainability. “My professional goals are rooted in the belief that every construction decision is ultimately a risk-management decision. Through my coursework in concrete industry management, engineering ethics and business law, I have repeatedly seen how sustainability and responsible practice intersect. These classes have shown me that advocating for long-term environmental solutions is not optional, it is part of our obligation to the public,” she wrote in her essay. “Concrete is one of the most versatile materials available to modern society. When used intentionally, it can serve as both a shield and a tool for reducing the climate crisis.”
“Concrete industry management is a degree that integrates advanced material science, concrete sustainability, digital modeling, 3D printing, artificial intelligence and machine learning. It is not the grandma, grandpa, old business anymore,” Mahgoub noted. “CIM is not only about concrete placement, but it is also about engineering durable, intelligent and environmentally friendly structures using cutting-edge technology.”
One example of that technology is a 3D printer that works in concrete. Mahgoub said the university is in the process of acquiring a printer from Vertigo, a company in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The printer will be installed in or adjacent to the NJIT Makerspace, likely by the fall 2026 semester.