The construction veteran, who has worked in myriad roles across the globe for half a century, reflects on her journey as a trailblazer for women in the industry.
Category: Feature
Empowering Women in Construction with Tess Wakasugi-Don
Tess Wakasugi-Don, Principal and Senior Project Manager of GLY Construction, is the first female principal in the firm’s 52-year history. Watch her interview construction management senior, Lisa Benjamin.
Women in Construction: Carrie Sturts Dossick
Carrie Sturts Dossick didn’t set out to break new ground when she decided to pursue civil engineering in college. “It never dawned on me that I shouldn’t do it and I came in a bit oblivious to the fact that I was joining a male-dominated field. I just thought that it was an interesting subject and I wanted to try it.”
Women in Construction: Darlene Septelka
Growing up, Darlene didn’t experience the gendering of toys. Her parents made no distinction between playing with trucks, blocks or Barbies. “I never felt like ‘girls don’t do that,’ or that I should be playing with dolls, or that there was a role I needed to portray.” One day her dad dumped a pile of sand in the backyard, and she spent hours building cities in it. When Darlene was in junior high, a vocational school opened up in her…
Student Spotlight: Ruben Salazar-Izquierdo
Ruben Salazar-Izquierdo, a student in the Masters in Construction Management program, was awarded a Fulbright scholarship in 2021. He anticipates finishing the program in June 2022. The Fulbright U.S. Student Program is the largest U.S. exchange program offering opportunities for students and young professionals to undertake international graduate study, advanced research, university teaching, and primary and secondary school teaching worldwide. We interviewed Ruben to gain insight into his thesis research as a graduate student, and his experience as a Fulbright…
Bid Day: a real life simulation
Bid Day is a half-day exercise that takes place at the end of the Fall Quarter of a student’s senior year. It’s a chance for them to put into practice the skills learned to effectively and accurately review subcontractor and supplier bids. They are charged with summarizing them into the “low bid” and submitting to the instructor “on time” to simulate an actual real-life bid day experience. Their bids are compared to the “right answer” and represent 10% of their…
Transfer Student Highlight: Charleston Burr
Charleston Burr was a transfer student in our Construction Management program and an Andrew Eker Scholarship Scholar. Originally from Kent, Washington, he transferred to UW in 2020, from Green River College in Auburn. Charleston graduated in 2021 and is now a Project Engineer at Hensel Phelps, where he is focusing on gaining experience and developing professionally while working on a diverse range of unique and challenging construction projects. This interview was conducted in 2021 while Charleston was attending UW. Degree…
Construction Management Students Competed in the 2021 DBIA National Design-Build Student Competition
This year a UW student team competed in the 2021 DBIA Design-Build Student Competition. The following UW students competed at a national level in this competition. Shreyas Bhore, Team Captain – MS in Construction Management Mariele Alarilla, BS in CM and Architecture Dual Degree Geng Chen, BS in CM and Architecture Dual Degree Takanobu Suzuki, BS in CM and Architecture Dual Degree Abdirizak Abdi, BS in CM and Architecture Dual Degree Our UW Team organized over the summer and on…
Construction Management Career Expo
On November 8, the College hosted the Construction Management Career Expo. The booth-style event was held in-person at the HUB, and was attended by over 70 employers and students, including those from construction management, civil engineering, and other built environments disciplines.
Prevention though Design (PtD) for MEP Worker Safety
The Prevention through Design (PtD) concept will improve worker safety, as applicable to Mechanical/Electrical/Plumbing (MEP) design and construction.