New Student Organization Highlights Women in Construction
March 17, 2021
By Brandie Yale
A new student organization in the College of Technology seeks to highlight the accomplishments of female students and professionals in the Construction Management field. Under the advisement of Dr. Lingguang Song, a group of students is forming Women in Construction to provide support to female students in a predominately male industry.
“With 13% of our construction management students being female, beating the national average of 9%, there is no better time to establish something permanent to support the growth of future women leaders right on UH campus” says Dr. Song. “That is the establishment of UH Women in Construction student organization, which welcomes all students who share a passion in the construction industry, for example construction, architecture and engineering majors. The support from the industry and especially NAWIC-Houston is simply incredible. I have every confidence in this industry-supported student organization to connect, collaborate, and construct a bright future for our students.”
Ms. Kelly Gregory and Ms. Leslie Reyes of NAWIC-Houston invested their personal time on relationship-building and mentoring efforts with the UH students and faculty team to plan for the new student organization. “Go where YOU want to be - build relationships, stay relevant, and persevere!” says Kelly Gregory, VP, NAWIC-Houston.
Ankita Sahu, MS student in Construction Management, says of her role in creating the new student group, “Women are underrepresented almost in every industry. Our industry is not any different. My goal is to highlight the successful women in our industry and hopefully inspire the next generation of girls to not be afraid and join this wonderful industry.”
Providing support to their fellow students is high on the priority list for these student leaders. Maria Standley, a sophomore in the Construction Management Bachelor of Science program, wants to build a support system to help female students as they enter industry.
“Our goal is to give women support, bring knowledge of the industry, network and build confidence so that once they enter the industry, they flourish and thrive in their careers.”
Anahi Vasquez, a junior in the Construction Management Bachelor of Science program, agrees. “Every day more women join the construction industry, but many are unaware of this fact because they believe the construction industry is targeted mainly at men. I believe women should realize their potential in the industry, and supporting an organization with those same values is important to me.”
Student leaders like Ankita, Maria, and Anahi are helping to make positive changes in their industry and in the College of Technology. During this Women’s History Month, we thank them for their support of their fellow students and advancing the role of women in technology industries.