Page 69 - Colorado Construction & Design Magazine - Spring 2023

Women in Construction
Cultivating and Building Other People’s Dreams - Strategy for Workforce Development
by Keller Hayes
Program Director, Transportation and Construction GirlTM, Hoya Foundation
September 28 is Transportation & Construction GIRL Day. Some people think that one day is not enough to change a life. However, Lilly’s story will prove those people wrong. As she said, “I think it is really cool that you can go to a place and then come home and have your mind set to a different world.”
Let me tell you the impact that a single day had on one nine year old girl, Lilly. Lilly came to Transportation
& Construction GIRL Day with her mother, Brianna.
Her mother had expected someone else familiar with construction to take Lilly to the event. When that person cancelled, mom took up the slack. Both of them came
to the event nervous. They didn’t know anyone or know what to expect.
They were both shy, but were welcomed with open arms by the amazing sponsors that provided interactive exhibits. Lilly was amazed that she actually got to fly a drone. And, she was even more surprised when she flew the drone over the moving truck and no one got angry. Then she tried out welding – the welding jacket nearly weighed as much as she did. She ended up with her initials that would take a place of pride in her bedroom. She climbed up into a concrete truck, tried out the flight simulator, operated the excavator and met Spot the Robotic Dog.
All of this was fun. But as adults, we might not give that experience the weight that it has for a young girl who has never been exposed to this industry. So, let me share Lilly and Brianna’s insight into the impact Transportation & Construction GIRL Day had for them.
Lilly said, “It was very inspiring. It was like – Wow – look at all these things I can do! It really inspired me to be what I want to be when I grow up. When you have that extra boost, there is no going back.”
Since TCG Day, Lilly’s new interest in construction and transportation has increased. When she and her mom pass multiple construction sites, Lilly can’t contain herself. She will share with her mom, “I could do that someday,
I could operate that.” Lilly never even paid attention to those things before. She rather shyly admits that she didn’t know a lot about transportation & construction. She says that she barely saw cranes. Well, actually she didn’t know what cranes were.
Brianna watched her daughter grow at that day’s events. She said, “We need roads built. We need infrastructure and we need people that are deep thinkers like that.
If we hadn’t had this event, Lilly would have never considered a role like that. A role that would be so important for her future and for the world around her. There is a potential for her to make an impact in a much deeper way that she had ever given herself that much credit for.”
Brianna also said, “It’s been incredibly empowering to just watch my daughter flourish after this event. There was a whole new level of confidence. And she now believes that the world is at her fingertips. That is what any parent wants for her child.”
I invite you to help us cultivate and build more young girls’ dreams at this year’s Transportation & Construction GIRL Day on September 28. To register or sponsor, go to www.ConstructionGIRL.org
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