Ladies lag in number but lead in know-how Two West Johnston High School females find success in male dominated industry BENSON-- Drivers in Raleigh may be able to thank West Johnston High School senior Nici Tucker for additional parking that will be available upon construction of a new parking deck. Tucker is a drafting student under the instruction of teacher Wayne Lee. When a representative of United Forming, a leader in the nation for concrete construction, came to West Johnston looking for an intern, Lee knew just who to recommend. "Nici is a really good student. We thought it would be a good experience for her there," Lee said. "I think it reinforced what career she wants to do." As part of her internship, Tucker drew up plans for one level of a parking deck to be constructed in downtown Raleigh. Those plans have been sent to the company's Atlanta office to be reviewed by an engineer for approval. "I think they were surprised she could perform on that level," Lee said. In an email sent to Lee, United Forming Engineer Michael Pedraza wrote, "I just wanted to let you know that it was a pleasure having Nici Tucker as an intern. She is an exceptional worker and attacked every assignment that she was given. Her diligence and attitude toward work and learning is something that is hard to come by." Also hard to come by are female drafting students. Tucker is one of only a few female students among Lee's advanced classes. "All of them are seniors," Lee said, "I don't know if I'll have any females come back next year," he commented. Despite the male majority, this year's ladies have left a legacy. Tucker's fellow classmate Danielle Lovejoy is the state champion in this year's Skills USA competition for Architectural Design. "She beat out everyone else in the state," Lee commented, "and was one of four or five females out of 58 competitors." SkillsUSA is a partnership of students, teachers and industry representatives working together to ensure America has a skilled work force. It is a national nonprofit organization serving teachers and high school and college students who are preparing for careers in trade, technical and skilled service occupations, including health occupations. Lovejoy will compete in Kansas City in June at the national level. "She'll be competing against the best and the brightest in the nation," Lee said, but, "Danielle has a high level of academic achievement in addition to being skilled with her hands." Lovejoy was recently accepted into the National Technical Honor Society for students taking technical courses and meeting rigorous academic requirements. Lee hopes the success of both Tucker and Lovejoy will encourage other females to enter the typically male dominated field. Eventually, he said, he would like to put together a short video as a recruitment tool for middle school students who may be interested in signing up for drafting classes.
