Amanda Budnik – Project Manager
Wight Construction Services
What or who inspired you to pursue a career in construction?
My first internship in construction was a gamble…but I really fell in love with the work and atmosphere of it all. During my second internship, I worked with my first female project engineer, Lauren Keeley. She was intelligent, confident, poised, and handled herself beautifully in a room full of men. She was a huge inspiration to me, but when I told her I wanted to be like her she said, ‘That’s nice but no, you’re going to be the first Amanda Budnik’. Those words have stuck with me ever since and encouraged me to pave my own way in this industry.
What advice would you give to girls or women interested in a construction career?
For any girls or women in construction, there’s going to be a lot of people who tell you how you should act or the ‘right way’ to do things to be successful. At the risk of sounding cliché, I think you need to discover who you are in this industry, what works for you, and embrace it. I spent a lot of time early in my career trying to emulate the behavior of others, and after a while I chose to just embrace my natural strengths and talents and have run with it ever since. Going back to my mentor, Lauren Keeley, her words meant that, as women, we needed to…forge our own paths; that her path and my path were not the same but we could lean on each other for support along the way.
What do you do during your down time to maintain balance?
My two biggest hobbies are yoga and traveling. I am a part-time yoga instructor at the Lab in Chicago and have met so many amazing people there. I love being reminded when I show up on my mat, I can let go of all the things I have to be for other people during the workday and return to my natural state of being my truest self. When I’m not doing that, I’m usually planning trips abroad with my friends and trying to see as much of the world as I can!
Krystal McDoom – Project Manager
University of Chicago Facilities Services
What advice would you give to girls or women interested in a construction career?
There is an art and science to this industry that most people do not realize. It can be perceived as “grimy” due the nature of the process of building. However, it can be very intellectually stimulating if you dive into the technical details needed to execute a project. Therefore, it is worth considering that a career in this industry can allow you to develop and enhance strategic thinking, problem solving and leadership skills as you bring a diverse set of ideas and people together to give life to a build environment. A career in this space can literally allow you to shape this world.
Halle Stork – Project Engineer
Wight Construction Services
What or who inspired you to pursue a career in construction?
My father inspired me to pursue a career in construction and help close the gender gap!
What advice would you give to girls or women interested in a construction career?
If you are interested in getting into the construction field, find a mentor that you can learn from and who helps build your confidence as a WIC. Everybody makes mistakes and being able to learn and talk through this with someone is pivotal.
What do you do during your down time to maintain balance?
To maintain work/life balance I travel with friends and family.
Alex Prasauskas – Project Manager
Wight Construction Services
What or who inspired you to pursue a career in construction?
My answer on inspiration for pursuing a career in construction is more of a ‘what’ and not necessarily a ‘who’. Growing up, I considered myself a tomboy and gravitated towards liking things that were out of the norm or unexpected from someone like me. Instead of playing with Barbies, I made bug cages and caught grasshoppers. Instead of working as hostess in high school, I refereed basketball games. Instead of joining a sorority in college, I rowed for the civil engineering concrete canoe team. Choosing a career was no different; I was inspired by the fact that I would be joining a male-dominated field and even felt motivated to surprise people.
What advice would you give to girls or women interested in a construction career?
Early in my career I did struggle with some self-doubt since I did not come from a family in construction and was one of very few women in the workplace. What I learned through reflection was that I earned my position and deserved to be where I was. Looking back, I wish I had more confidence in myself so I could be more assertive. What I would tell young women entering their career in construction is simple: you CAN do it and if you worked hard to be here, you SHOULD be here.
What do you do during your downtime to maintain balance?
In my free time, I love playing with my almost 1-year-old son Lenny. He is so close to walking and is learning the thrills of ‘peek-a-boo’. I also love skiing whenever we can make a trip out West to Colorado. For local activities, I enjoy bouldering, trying new restaurants in the city, and circuit-based workouts.
Karla Sanchez, Project Engineer
Wight Construction Services
What advice would you give to girls or women interested in a construction career?
o The best advice I have for young women looking at a career in construction is to be curious and always ask questions. Don’t be intimidated by what you don’t know; there are amazing people in this industry that are eager to help you learn and succeed. Work hard, show ambition, and don’t second guess yourself.
Talia Harb, Project Engineer
Wight Construction Services
What or who inspired you to pursue a career in construction?
I come from a family of civil engineers/construction managers. I grew up driving around jobsites with my dad for a “fun evening outing”... In my mind, a career in construction sounded so fun...for an extrovert, this sounded like the dream job! Now that I’ve been working in the field a little over a year now, it’s not always the dreamy job that I imagined as a child, but it still is, in some ways, all those things. I get to spend my days driving to different jobsites, walking around in the dirt, and making relationships with a variety of people in a variety of fields.
What advice would you give to girls or women interested in a construction career?
My advice would be to not be afraid of asking questions and admitting you don’t know something. I was very timid at first in asking questions when I didn’t understand a word/concept, because I assumed that I should already know this word or that construction activity, and that I would look dumb asking. Sure, I have been the brunt of a few jokes for asking some silly questions, but I think my colleagues appreciate my questioning, rather than just me trying to fake it the whole time.
What do you do during your down time to maintain balance?
On the weekends, I love to spend time with my friends and family. During the week after work, I am often either working out, cooking, or reading.
