The Women in ABC Committee hosted its annual Women’s Empowerment Day May 3 at My Sister’s Place Women’s Center.
The focus of the day was to teach interview and resume-writing skills, as well as to introduce women to the many careers available in the construction industry. Several guest speakers including Mary Jo Villafania with Advanced Heating & Cooling, Cindy Dorsey with Giant Food, and Kathy Humm of Harkins Builders explained the facets of getting and keeping a job.
Nicole Boodoo of Harkins Builders moved the audience by sharing the story of the difficult journey she faced to reach where she is today. Boodoo, an immigrant from Trinidad and Tobago, came to the United States with her family as a child with little to nothing. Boodoo worked four jobs while taking eight college courses to get her associate’s degree in construction management. Her hard work in her classes caught the attention of Harkins’ CEO Dick Lombardo who gave her an interview at his company. Boodoo’s clear drive and determination stunned the hiring team at Harkins and despite her lack of experience in the field, she was hired immediately.
The keynote speaker for the day was a success story of the program. Christina Sothern, who six years ago was a participant in WABC’s Women’s Empowerment Day, is now a recent graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Notre Dame of Maryland, and has been working for ABC member MEC2 for more than five years.
WABC also collected and donated professional women’s accessories to My Sister’s Place. The Empowerment Day participants had the opportunity to ‘shop’ for these items so they can have appropriate accessories for job interviews. WABC thanks all who donated and express thanks to Emily Rucinski of Hertzbach & Co. for organizing the event.