I am a 16 year old female who lives outside of Washington D.C.  I come from a family of strong smart women (minus dad of course!). Ever since I was little, I have had a passion for standing up for injustice in general and for gender inequality specifically; especially economic inequality.

I have always been fascinated by the infrastructure world as it is not only a big part of the economy but when I think of more values in sustainability and the environment, this industry has the power to greatly impact the outcome for generations to come.

I try to strive in this world. Everyday we all face struggles whether they are internal or external. We all have them to an extent, but being a woman in infrastructure seems too make those struggles so much harder. 

The world has many obstacles that have made it much harder to succeed. Over COVID, my sisters and I had first hand experience listening to the operational calls of a large infrastructure company, (their staff, what they do, and how they work). We immediately noticed that their team was entirely made up of men. Why? How do we change that? What can we do? These were all the questions my sisters and I asked each other when we learned about this company. Especially with my interest in architecture, construction and engineering (ACE), I wondered how I can change this – after all, good ideas require diversity. After doing some research, we founded our program (www.buildgirls.org) to help young, talented, curious women get more involved in infrastructure. Through workshops, speakers, and internships you can participate and learn about ACE and experience it first hand.