What was your greatest professional achievement or most notable project in the last 12 months? When I began my career journey, I never pictured myself in an office. I imagined working in the field with my hands, which is what I did in my last position. However, working in the field was not compatible with my school schedule, and the cold weather hits you a little differently as you get older. I’m proud of the level of organizational and communication skills I’m developing in my office position. I was so nervous about how I would perform at first, but now I love the challenge of handling various tasks at once and showing my teams I can reliably track and perform a range of tasks on schedule. 

What tips or advice would you offer to other women who are considering entering the AEC industry? People are an excellent resource. I would encourage other women to talk to professors, professionals, trade members, and other knowledgeable persons within the AEC industry. These conversations allow women to hear firsthand what these persons love about their fields and will help women build awareness about the various ways their skills can be used and what fields may interest them. For me, hearing how a mentor’s education and career path wasn’t linear, but instead had humps and bumps and barriers, was important. Understanding I wasn’t alone really allowed me to steel myself against challenges and pick myself up from my perceived failures. 

What made you interested in seeking a career in the AEC industry? When I was preparing to continue my education I continued circling back to Engineering because of the projected job growth. More importantly, I wanted an education that would allow me to express my creativity while enjoying job security. However, there was a large barrier for me to study engineering: I was very nervous about the math component of the degree since I had a hard time with this subject in high school. I studied hard focusing on short-term goals like completing the upcoming semester instead of ruminating on how much work I had ahead of me.