Seattle, October 13, 2025
News Summary
DPR Construction’s Build Up program is growing, offering paid, eight-week internships that give high school juniors and seniors hands-on exposure to construction management, technology and business skills. Accessible to low-income and first-generation students, the program pairs interns with professionals on active job sites and trains them on industry tools like BIM 360 and Primavera. Build Up emphasizes mentorship, public speaking and career pathways, with cohorts that reflect greater gender and socioeconomic diversity than the industry norm. The program aims to prepare students for college and careers while making the construction workforce more inclusive.
Three local developments: a growing high‑school construction internship, a Seattle AI startup raising $10M, and a major soccer signing
Three separate items of local interest lead today’s coverage. First, a longstanding paid youth program from a national builder expanded again in 2025, bringing hands‑on construction exposure to dozens of high‑school students. Second, a four‑person AI startup based in Seattle announced a $10 million raise to develop emotionally aware real‑time models. Third, a professional women’s soccer club added a proven international forward on a multi‑year deal as it bolsters both youth and veteran talent.
Build Up High School Internship program — October 13, 2025
The Build Up High School Internship program run by DPR Construction marked another active summer in 2025, welcoming 31 interns across the company. The item is dated October 13, 2025. The eight‑week, paid internship is designed for high school juniors and seniors and offers teens hands‑on exposure to the construction industry. Interns work alongside professionals on significant projects and spend their summer immersed in the realities of construction management, including project planning, construction technology, and learning about the wide variety of roles available in the construction field.
Since inception (2017), Build Up has introduced more than 160 students to the construction industry. The program is described as a model for how construction firms can invest in the next generation and make the industry more inclusive. Interns work full‑time during the internship and earn competitive hourly wages. The program is accessible to students whose family income meets HUD low‑income standards and to students who may be the first in their families to attend college. Seventy‑five percent (75%) of Build Up interns plan to be first‑generation college students, and almost half are young women, a notable point given that the construction industry has historically underrepresented women.
Build Up goes beyond technical training to teach essential business skills such as communication, time management, and navigating a professional environment. Interns complete a final presentation at the end of their internship that gives them experience in public speaking and project management. DPR treats high‑school interns with the same respect as college‑aged interns and exposes participants to every facet of the jobsite, from safety procedures to the latest construction software and technology.
Interns report learning about managing multi‑million‑dollar projects and using innovative technology for planning and design. Many interns gain experience with industry‑standard tools, including BIM 360, CMIC, HammerTech, and Primavera, which the program says gives students a head start in college and future careers. DPR’s Community Initiatives Leader, Diane Shelton, emphasizes the program’s commitment to broadening possibilities for talented high school students who might not otherwise have access to professional internships and to cultivating cohort diversity that can shift the industry. Ashley Durbin serves as an Estimator for DPR Construction’s Pacific Northwest region and chairs the Community Initiative Committee in Seattle.
A local example of program impact is Seattle participant Selome Muruts. Muruts first joined Build Up as a high school intern in 2023 and, after two high‑school internships, returned as a college intern working with Preconstruction and Virtual Design and Construction teams while pursuing a degree in civil engineering at the University of Washington. Her experience reflects the program’s broader goals of providing mentorship, building confidence, and opening doors for students who might not have considered construction as a career. DPR continues to expand Build Up and says commitment to inclusion and education remains a central focus; the program is described as more than just a summer job — it’s a launchpad for a future in the construction industry.
Nuance Labs raises $10 million and stays in Seattle
Founded earlier in 2025, Nuance Labs is a four‑person startup developing an AI system capable of understanding and expressing emotion in real time across multiple modalities. The company recently raised $10 million in a funding round led by Accel, with participation from Lightspeed and South Park Commons. The funding was reported by Upstarts Media.
Nuance’s technical approach focuses on modeling small slices of human behavior — slight pauses in speech or subtle facial cues — and uses auto‑regressive transformers to predict behavior one frame or token at a time. The company emphasizes efficiency and specialization rather than relying on generalized large language models, a design choice the founders say allows more economical training and faster performance. Nuance envisions consumer applications such as AI avatars that can see and respond to users, software that analyzes emotions during video calls, and an API supporting use cases like AI therapists.
The founders chose to build in Seattle rather than relocate to San Francisco and are working out of Foundations, a growing Seattle‑based startup community. One co‑founder earned a PhD from the University of Washington and the other earned a PhD from MIT; they met at an Apple engineering office in Seattle. The company recently added two employees and plans to move into a new office in downtown Seattle. Nuance does not have any Seattle investors on its cap table and the founders said the company represents a high‑risk technical bet that they hope will help build stronger startup support in Seattle.
Seattle professional women’s team signs Mia Fishel to a 4.5‑year deal
The club announced the signing of forward Mia Fishel to a 4.5‑year contract. Fishel, 24, previously played for Chelsea FC and the U.S. Women’s National Team and joins a roster that balances veteran leaders and rising young players. The signing adds attacking talent to the club’s core of young players and gives opportunities to link up with young talents who earned league honors.
Fishel brings hold‑up play that connects build‑up with midfielders or outside backs or backline, the ability to dissect defensive backs with runs, finishing, crossing, heading, and quick shots. The team earlier in the season acquired an all‑team leading NWSL scorer and U.S. Women’s National Team star named Lynn Biyendolo. The club’s roster includes veterans Lu Barnes, Ji So‑Yun, Jess Fishlock, Phoebe McClernon, and Angharad James‑Turner, and the coaching staff has promoted high‑potential young players. A player named Dahlien has posted the fifth‑most shots on target in the league with three goals and two assists. Sam Meza has emerged as one of the best two‑way midfielders in the NWSL and recently received a call‑up to the U.S. Women’s National Team. Sally Menti has broken out as a steady, high‑upside midfielder in her rookie season. Young forwards Jordyn Bugg and Emeri Adames were both named to the NWSL Best XI for the month of June, and goalkeeper Claudia Dickey anchors the group of rising stars.
The club returns to action at Lumen Field on Sunday, July 20 in an international friendly against Urawa; single‑match tickets for the July 20 fixture are available and the club offered an exclusive pickleball promo for that fixture. The team’s annual Pride Match was scheduled for Friday, August 1 against Angel City, and the club also scheduled a new Queen’s Match honoring the legendary 1985 national team on Monday, August 18 against Chicago Stars FC.
FAQ
What is the Build Up High School Internship program and when is the item dated?
The Build Up High School Internship program run by DPR Construction is an eight‑week, paid internship designed for high school juniors and seniors that offers teens hands‑on exposure to the construction industry. The item is dated October 13, 2025.
How many students has Build Up introduced to construction since it began?
Since inception (2017), Build Up has introduced more than 160 students to the construction industry.
How many interns participated in Build Up in 2025 and what do they earn?
In 2025, the program welcomed 31 interns across the company. Interns work full‑time during the internship and earn competitive hourly wages.
What student demographics does Build Up serve?
The program is accessible to students whose family income meets HUD low‑income standards and to students who may be the first in their families to attend college. Seventy‑five percent (75%) of Build Up interns plan to be first‑generation college students and almost half are young women.
What technical tools do Build Up interns gain experience with?
Many interns gain experience with industry‑standard tools, including BIM 360, CMIC, HammerTech, and Primavera.
Who leads the Build Up Community Initiatives and who chairs Seattle’s committee?
DPR’s Community Initiatives Leader is Diane Shelton. Ashley Durbin serves as an Estimator for DPR Construction’s Pacific Northwest region and chairs the Community Initiative Committee in Seattle.
What did Nuance Labs announce and who led the funding?
Nuance Labs, a four‑person startup founded earlier in 2025, raised $10 million in a round led by Accel with participation from Lightspeed and South Park Commons.
What is Nuance Labs building?
Nuance is developing an AI system capable of understanding and expressing emotion in real time across multiple modalities and plans applications such as AI avatars and software that analyzes emotions during video calls.
Who did the professional women’s team sign and for how long?
The club signed Mia Fishel to a 4.5‑year contract. Fishel is 24 years old and previously played for Chelsea FC and the U.S. Women’s National Team.
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Key features at a glance
| Topic | Key facts |
|---|---|
| Build Up High School Internship program | Eight‑week paid internship; designed for high school juniors and seniors; 31 interns in 2025; Since inception (2017), Build Up has introduced more than 160 students to the construction industry; competitive hourly wages; exposes interns to BIM 360, CMIC, HammerTech, and Primavera; program accessible to students meeting HUD low‑income standards. |
| Nuance Labs | Four‑person startup; founded earlier in 2025; raised $10 million led by Accel with participation from Lightspeed and South Park Commons; building emotionally intelligent AI for real‑time, multi‑modal interaction; plans downtown Seattle office; recently added two employees. |
| Professional women’s team signing | Signed Mia Fishel to a 4.5‑year contract; Fishel is 24 and previously at Chelsea FC and the U.S. Women’s National Team; club returns to Lumen Field July 20 vs Urawa; Pride Match Aug 1 vs Angel City; Queen’s Match Aug 18 vs Chicago Stars FC. |
Deeper Dive: News & Info About This Topic
Additional Resources
- Daily Journal of Commerce: Build Up High School Internship (DPR)
- Wikipedia: DPR Construction
- The Seattle Times: Mayor Harrell proposes limiting a process that delays new construction
- Google Search: Mayor Harrell construction appeals process Seattle
- GeekWire: Ex-Apple PhDs raise $10M to build an AI foundation model that understands emotion (Nuance)
- Google Scholar: emotional AI multimodal emotion recognition
- The New York Times: Seattle skybridge houses ADU
- Encyclopedia Britannica: Accessory dwelling unit
- Reign FC: Reign FC continues to build young core with addition of Fishel
- Google News: Mia Fishel Reign
Author: Construction TX News
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