Building bridges: ASU’s Advancing Women in Construction fosters inclusivity and empowerment
Interested in working in construction? Are you looking for a community of peers on campus? Look no further than Advancing Women in Construction (AWIC), an Arizona State University student club whose central mission is to encourage and support women considering construction and similar industries as a career path.
Brooke Hampton, the current president of Advancing Women in Construction and a third-year civil engineering (sustainability) student at the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering, commented on the club’s development in recent years.
“AWIC was initially formed to increase and retain the number of women graduating from the Del. E. Webb School of Construction,” Hampton said. “This remains our purpose today, and we’ve broadened our reach to the whole School of Sustainable Engineering and the Built Environment.”
Advancing Women in Construction provides a social, welcoming environment for students to learn more about the industry, engage with professionals in the field and find community among their fellow women. They host events and service opportunities throughout the semester, these gatherings are primarily catered toward construction, engineering and architecture majors, but everyone is welcome to attend.
According to data gathered by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, “approximately 14% of construction workers in October 2022 were female.” This lack of female employment, coupled with the unconscious gender bias in the workplace, sets up barriers to entry for women and can be disheartening for female students in construction-based majors.
“The founders of AWIC felt that since construction and engineering are male-dominated industries, it can be intimidating to be a woman entering that space,” Hampton said. “AWIC aims to be an organization that helps women feel a sense of belonging in the industry. This is so important on ASU’s campus[es] because students must be kept informed and supported in order to continue their studies, and eventually graduate and pursue construction and engineering careers.”
Charlene Moreno Turrubiarte, the current architecture ambassador for Advancing Women in Construction and a third-year student studying architectural studies at the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, said inclusivity across majors is a priority.
“AWIC covers the broad fields of building and construction, making it a good selection for anyone interested in these areas, even if they are not majoring in it,” Turrubiarte said. “Our club is filled with members from all sorts of majors.”
One of the most impactful events of the fall 2023 semester, according to AWIC officers, was the Sundt Construction site tour at their Biltmore site on Nov. 17, 2023. Students were able to observe improvements at the Biltmore golf course, including the construction of a new clubhouse, restaurant, ballroom and roof deck. Jay Statler, a project superintendent at Sundt, gave the site tour, a connection club officers had made at their Mentorforce Kickoff event earlier in the fall.
Not only were students guided through the site and able to ask questions, but the team at Sundt made sure to also point out the roadblocks and things that had gone wrong in their process. This helped AWIC members learn about the realities of the industry and elaborate on solutions to construction issues.
“It was particularly special because it was most of the attendees’ first site tour,” Hampton said. “Sundt did a great job in curating the tour towards students by [providing personal protective equipment] and allowing us space to ask questions and learn more about specific roles in the construction industry. It is always exciting when students are able to compare what we are learning at ASU to real-world experiences.”
Aside from their professional events, Advancing Women in Construction also helps provide their members with resources for scholarships and grants.
“We work to support each other by sharing our experiences, building networks and providing hands-on learning,” Hampton said. “Additionally, there are Advancing Women In Construction scholarships available through the ASU Foundation, which offers financial support to students.”
The Advancing Women in Construction fund is run through the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering and is financed through donor support. The AWIC Mentorship and Grant program “grant[s] women in construction the opportunity to gain leadership skills through mentorship and involvement in student organization.”
In the spring 2024 semester, Advancing Women in Construction will host a variety of social welcome events to encourage new members to join the organization.
“We will be hosting the Valentine’s craft night, a panel and the bridge build competition,” Hampton said. “We also have the opportunity to do a follow-up site tour with Sundt, and I’m not sure how much I can say, but we will be supporting a special event Dr. Becker has in the works for February in regards to the advancement of women in construction.”
The concept of the bridge build competition was developed by Advancing Women in Construction’s former vice president Bo-derik Thorson. The first bridge build competition took place during the spring 2022 semester, and again in spring 2023. Both past competitions were sponsored by Kiewit, as they paid for all materials and provided team members as judges.
“We were trying to think of events that better included our engineering and architecture members and thought this would be a great addition to our spring schedule,” Hampton said. “The bridges are made from popsicle sticks, then their strength is measured using bricks. The strengths, costs and aesthetics of the bridges are used to determine the winners of the competition.”
Above all, Advancing Women in Construction wants to encourage and uplift women with an interest in the industry. The close-knit bond of their members helps distinguish the organization from others, providing support to women in a predominantly masculine industry.
“I was motivated to join the club and become an officer as a freshman because I was looking for opportunities to surround myself with strong, determined women as well as develop my professional skills,” Hampton said. “Women pursuing construction or engineering, I hope they know how many of us are rooting for them and are wanting to support them. AWIC, ASU, and many construction and engineering companies are willing to put in time, effort, and money to support them.”
