COLUMBIA, S.C. — Women are gaining more of a foothold in what has traditionally been a male-dominated field: construction. One woman is already moving beams toward success right in our backyard.
Israel Simmons-Thorne is a first-generation Trinidadian American who graduated from Midlands Technical College last fall.
She got her degree in building construction technology. Simmons-Thorne said she was one of three women in a class that included 15 men, but that didn't deter her from pursuing success.
"I was one of the only women in my class and I was just like, well this is a great field for other women to join because it's such a broad industry," Simmons-Thorne said.
According to data from the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce, the state's construction industry is 18.5% female and 81.5% male, with over 1,000 open jobs as of February.
Simmons-Thorne said her mom motivated her to earn her degree in this field.
"She's just a really amazing person and a very strong person," Simmons-Thorne said. "She's always been super supportive, so when I did tell her that I wanted to switch my major into something more manual and labor-ready, she was all for it."
"One of the things I taught her to be, I guess, to have the strength and the knowledge to go into a field with men is that you have to have respect for yourself," Natalie Thorne-Forrest, Israel's mother, said.
Not only did Simmons-Thorne graduate, but she also earned a $4,000 scholarship for her degree, being one out of 50 recipients in the U.S., and she created her own non-profit, 'The Neighborhood Toolbox.'
"We bring awareness to the skill trades industry, and we do so by collaborating with different labor unions, different small businesses, and we host workshops where children or adults, pre-teens can come and they can do hands on activities," Simmons-Thorne said.
Simmons-Thorne added that she hopes to continue inspiring others.
"Young women, you can do anything," she said.
Now that Simmons-Thorne has graduated, she plans to expand her non-profit and continue her education. But she is still looking for a job.