By Ainsley Weems | 国产BT Communication Student Class of 2026
The annual National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) Student Chapters competition, held alongside the International Builders鈥 Show, challenged teams from 36 universities to design and present a speculative custom home project to a panel of judges acting as potential investors.
Mississippi State鈥檚 presenting team included: Madeline Clabert (junior), Reid Hodges (junior), Brady Jones (senior), Jaiden LaBlanc (junior), Makayla Martin (junior) and Tanner Owens (junior), all Building Construction Science majors. Supporting the team were Kevin Osorio (senior), Timothy Cotton (junior), Charles Tobias (sophomore) and Sullivan Lewis (senior) in alternate and mentoring roles.
The students designed a luxury waterfront home for a lot in the Miners Cove neighborhood of Tallapoosa County, Alabama. Their proposal included market research, home design, budgeting and construction scheduling to demonstrate the project鈥檚 feasibility and potential return on investment.
鈥淭his was a rewarding experience for all of us,鈥 said Tanner Owens. 鈥淔or us to walk away being ninth in the country means a lot to our team and the building construction science department.鈥
The project began as a studio assignment in the fall semester of 2025 before faculty selected the group to represent the university at the national competition. The team spent months refining their proposal and practicing their presentation before traveling to Orlando.
鈥淭heir work, professionalism and composure on a national stage made our department and Mississippi State proud,鈥 said Assistant Professor Mohsen Garshasby. 鈥淭hey represented the university with excellence and dedication.鈥
Click to watch the students鈥 presentation at the 2026 NAHB Student competition.