Rachel L. Mulholland Project Manager | Shook Construction Company

The support from my company. I’m, so far, a “lifer”, feeling like I belonged since I was a college co-op through becoming a working mom. And beyond making a meaningful impact building a healthcare facility or school, Shook empowers us to additionally support the community through service. They have given me opportunities, challenged me, and ultimately treated me well, and that’s why I’ve not only stayed with Shook but also in construction 
 

I was a co-op on the NEORSD Easterly WWTP Secondary System Improvements. It was interesting learning that there are so many people that collaborate and work together on a project. I enjoyed going out onsite and seeing the big machines and how tradespeople build. 

Women have the same opportunities as our male peers. Women are still up against decades, arguably centuries, of being viewed as not belonging in the workforce, especially an industry so associated with physical work and traditionally masculine traits. However, it has improved as more women join construction, technology continues to develop to assist the work, and the industry becomes more professionalized… all of this is working towards equalizing the playing field. 
 

Women grow the construction industry and make it more inclusive. Women are half of the population, so we bring half the skillset and talent of the workforce with us. And with construction historically being mostly men, women bring a new point of view and make progressive changes for the sake of including more people, strengthening the industry through diversity. 
 

The cliché: It’s challenging but rewarding. There is always something that you can learn and something that needs to be done, which can be overwhelming. But tackle it one objective at a time, with a team to bounce ideas off of, lean on, come up with (and often change) a plan of how to get the job done! And don’t let anyone invalidate your efforts to learn and/or do that thing!