Allison Oropallo, Neighbor

I love my job for so many reasons. Being a woman who works with wood and in construction offers me a unique opportunity to help, educate, and provide a dynamic example to women. When I am hard at work I feel immense satisfaction from designing, building, creating, and completing projects. All my life, I have constructed things on my own and figured out how to complete difficult projects. It isn't just the finished product that excites me, but the satisfaction of knowing I can do anything.

I love being an educator. I teach an awesome class and have a great woodshop. I enjoy demonstrating for students that any problem can be solved if approached with the right tools, skills, and ideas. When a project is hard, some students think that it is impossible to complete. Once they start, however, this illusion is destroyed and they know that anything is possible with the right knowledge. I love watching proud students present their finished work to their parents. Another way I feel I get to educate is by providing a strong example to women. I like showing that you don't have to be a man to do what society considers men's work. Far too often women immediately dismiss "men's work" as impossible. I believe my success as a handywoman provides an example to females that anyone can achieve their independence and accomplish their dreams.