Platt Construction Flagger Deborah Green went away to college to pursue her dreams and study theatre. College wasn’t working out due to financial reasons, and Green moved home. Green’s father and uncles worked in construction, and Green says her father used to share stories about his days on the job site, specifically about a particular…
C.D. Smith Labor Journeywoman After finishing two degrees, Ashley Szweda decided to explore a career in construction after a friend encouraged her to do so. “One of my girlfriends was a sheet metal worker. I had just moved back here from Texas, and she’s like ‘Ashley, go take the test! Just be a laborer, go…
Doral Corporation Journeywoman Ironworker Becoming a journeywoman ironworker was not the original plan for Chelsea Tappa. “Although if I had known about ironworkers, it probably would have been… I always liked to build things and climb on things when I was little,” Tappa said. Tappa originally went to college to pursue a career as a…
C.D. Smith Journeywoman Carpenter LaSonya Donald was training to be an automotive technician and studying human services at Milwaukee Area Technical College when she enrolled in her first carpentry class. “I actually fell in love with it, so I stuck with it,” Donald said. Upon graduating, Donald enrolled in BIG STEP, or Building Industry Group…
P.L. Freeman Co. Third-Year Sheet Metal Apprentice Jennifer Bruss is a third-year sheet metal apprentice working on the Wisconsin Center expansion project. She found her way to construction by way of her father, a master carpenter. “Just seeing what my dad did and seeing how much detail was in the finished work, I was always…