Shimmick hosted its first ever Discovery Day for high school girls at the Golden Gate Bridge project. The students spent the day learning about different career paths women at Shimmick took to get to where they are today. The students also shared their own scholastic interests and what brought them to Discovery Day. The day’s agenda included safety, a project overview, a harness demonstration – safely from a tripod on the ground, a rescue demonstration, and a project tour.
Shimmick women planned and executed the event, supported by colleagues throughout the Northwest division. “I think we all enjoyed learning about each other’s journey and seeing the excitement of the younger girls,” said estimating operations manager, Ashley Hirakawa.
Shimmick’s Executive Chairman, Mitch Goldsteen, who also attended the event, said “It was amazing. I was not only impressed with our team but also so proud of Shimmick. The team is filled with people who are passionate about their work, who care to give back and who each had truly fascinating journeys that I was able to hear and learn from. I was thrilled to be able to attend this day for myself and meet our amazing crews.”
This first event will help set the stage for what Shimmick hopes can be replicated at other projects to increase awareness about rewarding careers in construction among female high school students.
The event also served as a model for a new organization called BuildGirls.org whose mission is to empower, educate and engage female high school students to address the lack of female representation in the infrastructure industry.