Middle Tennessee State University’s celebrated Concrete Industry Management program hosted over 320 area middle and high school girls Tuesday, May 13, at the second annual Ladies in Concrete Workshop to expose them to a variety of potential careers in a career field that has traditionally been dominated by men.
Following last year’s successful inaugural event at the School of Concrete and Construction Management Building, this year’s event drew even more girls and young women to campus to get an up-close view of different parts of the concrete industry through hands-on workshops demonstrating common things seen on a job site.
The event provided eight workstations — heavy equipment, hand tools, mix design, pre-casting, finishing, masonry, 3D printing, and welding — for the girls to have immersive experiences with professional equipment, all hosted by 17 different alumni and local industry partners.
CIM Patron Board President Natalie Martin, a CIM program alum, created and organized the event for the purpose of letting young girls know that there is a much-needed place for women within this industry working with the most used building material in the world.
CIM Patrons are a group of alumni and industry professionals who volunteer their time to promote, recruit and fundraise for the CIM program. They are a nonprofit organization serving the program through financial, marketing and mentoring assistance.
“I want to give middle and high school girls experience in this industry from a young age, so when they get to college, they’re more on an equal playing field,” Martin explains, her emphasis based on her own experience as a nontraditional student, having graduated from the CIM program at 38 years old in 2016.
“I can now provide a life for my kids that I never thought I could, and I proudly have done that all by myself because of this industry,” she said.
Hannah Neal, rising CIM junior from Murfreesboro, was a part of the group of female students and alumni that acted as tour guides for the day, sharing with the group their job titles and experiences within the concrete business and their unique degree. Paired with students from Central Magnet High School in Murfreesboro, Neal detailed just how grateful she was for being a part of this experience, and how she wished for an opportunity like this when she was much younger.
“We have so many amazing women and men who have decided to spend their time away from their companies to show these hands-on experiences for these young girls, and that is something I’m so thankful to be involved with since I’m still learning, too,” she said.
Alongside a nearly a 100-student increase from last year, the event hosted even more schools, bumping the total up to 12 combined middle and high schools from the Midstate. The CIM program aims to increase these numbers even more next year.
Rising Smyrna High School senior Zoie Tubbs was one of the many participants who had the opportunity to participate in the event alongside her peers, finding the day to not only be enjoyable, but also expanded her horizons on what she perhaps would want to pursue after graduation.
“I think this is a really good opportunity for us as girls to learn about the concrete industry, and to actually feel invited to this career. Being here maybe changed my mind for what I want to do,” she said.
Tubbs’ interior design teacher, Christy Burns, perhaps said it best: “These girls, while yes, they’re leaving here with hard hats and swag bags, they’re also leaving here with hands-on experiences that they won’t ever forget, and where they may not have thought about a career in concrete before, hopefully they’ve had that opportunity for exposure.”
To learn more about CIM, one of five such programs nationwide and one of 11 College of Basic and Applied Sciences’ 11 departments, visit https://www.concretedegree.com/the-cim-program/.
— Karli Sutton
