Women pursuing a career in construction face a serious disadvantage. A mere 10.8% of the total construction workforce is female according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, making it easy to feel isolated.
UT recently welcomed a new student organization, Women in Construction, seeking to change that.
Different from UT’s Construction Science Club, an organization open to both men and women, WIC is for women only.
WIC was founded by Gracie Orrico and Penelope Roccia, both sophomores studying construction science and management.
“The construction club is kind of what everyone is a part of … and that club is huge,” Orrico said. “This is more of an extension off of that.”
What began as a loose, unofficial hang-out session of girls within the same field of study became a growing group of young women passionate about community and networking.
Orrico and Roccia eventually took the initiative to register WIC with the school, becoming an official UT student organization at the beginning of 2024.
“There’s a lot that goes into registering a new organization. Gracie and I are in meetings constantly,” Roccia said.
WIC meets monthly and holds various events throughout the semester, sometimes hosting female guest speakers as they seek to supply each other with supportive networking opportunities in a male-dominated field.
One such meeting featured a panel discussion. About 20 young women met in a classroom inside the Plant Biotechnical Building on UT’s Agriculture Campus. They were joined by six female experts in the field, including program coordinator Katelyn Walker and project manager Christine Garofalo, both from MBI Companies.
The discussion was open and free-flowing, with many of the students raising their hands to ask specific questions of the panelists, who provided serious and genuine advice to the girls.
“Stand up for yourself and set boundaries,” Walker said. “We’re women in this industry. We’re gonna get all kinds of comments that are maybe not meant to hurt us or meant to cut deep.”
For WIC, the impacts they feel from being a minority in their field are far from simple.
“We’re at a disadvantage,” Garofalo said. “We are expected to be better. … The bar is higher.”
Construction science is the fastest-growing major on the Agriculture Campus, according to Mia Sampson, a junior studying construction science and management. She works as a student ambassador for UT and has seen an influx of potential construction students touring the school.
There are 281 students majoring in construction science and management at UT. Thirty of them are female. WIC hopes to bring them a strong community and help them learn to rely on each other while also connecting them with the outside world.
Formerly known as Construction Science and Agricultural Systems, Construction Science and Management is a four-year degree program offered through the Herbert College of Agriculture. Architecture, business and engineering are blended together along with current construction techniques. Students are expected to have a strong grasp of both math and science, and they are encouraged to find accessible career skills through internships or cooperative work experiences.
For WIC, other majors related to construction science are also welcome. Current member Anna Kate Tibbs is a junior majoring in soil science. She currently has an internship with an engineering company where she focuses on erosion prevention and sediment control. Although different from construction science, her knowledge is necessary for the continuation of construction projects like those Sampson is working on.
Support for these young women will continue even after graduation through associations like the National Association of Women in Construction, National Association of Black Women in Construction and Women Construction Owners & Executives, USA. Training programs and further development of technical skills are offered in a wide variety of companies and networks.
Community and advocacy are strong focal points for WIC as they seek to ready themselves for a career in a male-dominated field.
“Be each other’s support system. I think this group is phenomenal,” Walker said. “Having that support system in the industry is huge. You are each other’s biggest cheerleaders.”
