Rising Residential Construction Star Credits NAHB Student Chapter's Help

Zainab Sanusi is a self-described "numbers girl." From a young age she was fascinated by unique homes and, with a strong passion for both math and construction, wanted to one day help bring new ones to life. Today, she does just that as a project estimator for Bedrock Homes in Atlanta.

Sanusi credits her time in NAHB’s Kennesaw State University (KSU) student chapter for bridging the path to help land her dream job as well as giving her the foundational knowledge to thrive in a residential building career.

One of the brightest spots of her student chapter tenure was attending a Professional Women in Building (PWB) Council meeting after she earned a Building Hope Scholarship from the National Housing Endowment. At the meeting, Sanusi sought to meet women who’d found success navigating the predominantly male construction space, and that’s where she met her mentor, Kerry White, chief executive officer of HomeQuest Properties, INC. (Applications for the Building Hope Scholarship among other grants are open until March 7, 2025.)

"Kerry took me under her wing in 2019. I was so eager to learn so much more outside of the classroom and she said ’You’re welcome to come on site and tour homes with me.’ She really helped break down the process of home building." Sanusi still takes a piece of advice White gave her to work every day; "When you do a job, do it well," she’d tell her.

With a strong mentor, loads of institutional knowledge and a student chapter support system behind her, Sanusi was ready to put her skills to the test. With the lessons she had learned from White, she wanted to help KSU’s Student Competition team prepare for the International Builders’ Show working as a CAD designer, creating floor plans, and reviewing all materials.

"I learned so much about what it takes to build a home [and development] from start to finish," said Sanusi. "I was able to learn how to design homes structurally and take what I learned throughout the years and apply it in terms of pricing out a home, determining where a home should be built as well as the coding side."

As a member of PWB, Sanusi makes it a priority to continue to collaborate every year with her former student chapter at KSU to create student workshops titled "How to Nail a Job in Construction."

"Take advantage of the opportunities that are presented through the student chapters," Sanusi tells students. "I feel like sometimes students go to chapter events and feel like they were part of the chapter, but they aren’t taking advantage of what’s presented to them. Learn to put yourself out there because the industry is vast, and they need young people.

"Learn wherever you go, knowledge is power and it’ll take you far."

The 2025 Student Competition at IBS will be held Feb. 24-26. Attendees can watch teams compete in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The Production and Custom/Small Home Build Competitions will also be livestreamed on the NAHB Student Chapters Facebook page and NAHBTV channel.