April 25, 2017

NYC DDC Holds Introduce a Girl to Architecture, Engineering, and Construction Day at Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design

On Tuesday, April 25th 2017, 35 public High School students participated in the NYC Department of Design and Construction’s “Introduce a Girl to Architecture, Engineering and Construction Day” at the Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design in Brooklyn. The event, which was held in celebration of Pi Day, was designed to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, Architecture/Art and Mathematics (STEAM) related disciplines to young women, and showcase various career opportunities and skill sets in STEAM fields.

NYC DDC, in collaboration with NYC Department of Education Career and Technical Education (DOE CTE) and Grant Associates, a national workforce development company, invited students from Robert F. Wagner Jr. Secondary School for Arts and Technology, and the Williamsburg High School for Architecture and Design to participate in the event. DDC’s STEAM Division facilitated two college and career readiness workshops to help students develop the essential skills necessary for their educational and professional endeavors. During the first workshop, students engaged in activities highlighting professional engagement, networking and identifying personal and work skills. The second workshop consisted of mock interviews, during which students had to opportunity to test their interviewing skills and receive constructive feedback.

After the workshops, the students attended a panel discussion with four female DDC built environment professionals: Starlene Scott, Build It Back Regional Manager; Sofia Zuberbuhler-Yafar, Infrastructure Project Executive; Jade Bailey, Public Buildings Project Manager; and Madeline Skoblik, Infrastructure Resident Engineer. The professionals shared their personal experiences of how they began their careers and gave students advice on how to persevere and pursue their dreams in these traditionally male-dominated fields.

Students get a chance to practice 3 minute “mock interviews” while their peers observe and give feedback.

Students from both schools worked collaboratively to identify their own personal “hard and soft skills”.

35 Students female NYC students participate in an insightful and inspiring day with DDC Woman professionals in the AEC fields.