Women in Construction builds confidence in tomorrow's workforce

Monday, April 15, 2019

About 35 area high school girls met their potential destiny during Penn College's annual "Framing Your Future" event Friday, gaining hands-on exposure to the vast career opportunities represented by the School of Construction & Design Technologies. The college's Women in Construction club inspired the ninth through 12th graders and coordinated the activities, which included a networking lunch and group sessions in the architecture/sustainable design, building construction and HVAC/plumbing labs.

– Photos by Jessica U. Oberlin, librarian, information technology initiatives;
and Carol A. Lugg, dean of construction and design technologies, co-advisers of Women in Construction;
and Tom Wilson, writer/editor-PCToday

Branded on one side as a unique souvenir of the day, a birdhouse awaits assembly in the construction carpentry lab.

A half-dozen high school students hobnob with the Wildcat outside the ACC Auditorium.

Showing off their handiwork

A 10-minute icebreaker activity required teams to work collaboratively (but with separate tasks) to build the highest tower possible from drinking straws and tape.

The mascot joins School of Construction & Design Technologies students, tasked with mentoring the day's visitors.

Participants proudly display their impromptu creations from the Klump Academic Center Auditorium stage.

Students give their guests a hands-on look at Lumion, architectural visualization software that renders designs in 3D.

Undaunted by "some assembly required"

The young women tour Penn College's HVAC lab, which realistically replicates two floors of residential space.

Bernice C. Weaver (left), of Newville, majoring in residential construction technology and management: building construction technology concentration, guides a guest to birdhouse success.