UCF’s Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC), a student organization for construction engineering majors, have made history for the university. For the first time, UCF has placed at the Construction Management Competition, an event that gives students the chance to participate in a real-world project that tests their skills and boosts their resumes.
The Knights earned second place overall as well as second place in the categories of estimating, project management and quality control.
Civil Engineer major Nelida Matute Gonzalez, the vice president of ABC, was one of the four competitors at the competition alongside of Daniel Dominguez, Alejandro Giraldo and Carlos Marquez. They also brought along four alternates who will participate in the 2026 competition. Matute Gonzalez says the entire team’s preparation has really paid off.
“This year, we started preparing as soon as the last competition ended so this has been in the works for a whole year,” Matute Gonzalez says. “Even though it only happens once a year, it’s an ongoing process.”
A few months before the competition, all teams receive details about the specific project they’re required to work on. Before this, they take the time to prep with ABC’s national policies when it comes to safety, quality control and narratives. Initially, the group spends around 10 hours a week working toward this competition and around 25 hours a week once they received the project details, Matute Gonzalez says.
“You need to come up with a whole proposal on ‘How do you plan to make this project happen before it even happens,’” Matute Gonzalez says. “You need to emulate the real-life scenario as much as you can without getting help from the people that made it, so it’s a little bit challenging.”
Despite only bringing the four alternates, Matute Gonzalez and the rest of the board had to choose from 25 students showing the best effort, passion, and quality of work.
The competition is broken down into three parts: the submission proposal, competition day with a spontaneous exercise and interviews. These spontaneous exercises are when the competition throws in a “curveball” and the competitors must revise their already existing proposal with problem-solving skills such as adding in buildings. Step three is only offered to those who get “shortlisted” and 10 of the 35 schools, including UCF, were shortlisted this year. The interview process is selected by the Competition Committee based on their performance in step one and two.
Teams also have to cover the cost of the competition, including travel. Matute Gonzalez says that sponsorships and fundraising help this. Both the executive board and the ABC Central Florida Chapter figure out the payment for the competition, so the students do not have to pay out of pocket. ABC Central Florida helps with costs when the organization makes a request and for the competition, they raise money by doing a golf tournament fundraiser.
“I am so proud of all my team. It’s kind of crazy making history for ABC UCF… Right now, we are only doing it on our free time, for our passion, for the club. It’s crazy to see how everyone came together and delivered on the project,” Matute Gonzalez says. “I know my alternates this year are going to take home first place next year.”
- Written by Sydney Ford