We are fortunate to have some awesome, talented women on our staff at HENRY ADAMS. I recently spoke with Nathaly Villeda, a Mechanical Engineer, and wanted to share her story. I enjoy hearing about how women chose the path to engineering since historically it is a male-dominated field. Nathaly’s story is a heartfelt one of women empowering women. Nathaly credits her love of all things engineering to her mother, Mercedes. Mercedes immigrated to the US from El Salvador and quickly found a job as a housekeeper for an engineer. While working one day, she came upon a radio that had been broken for weeks.  She always enjoyed fixing things, so she decided to give it a try. When Mercedes fixed the radio, her employer was thoroughly impressed… and he offered her a job… at his engineering firm.

While Mercedes was thrilled to have such a job, she was lacking childcare, so she brought a young Nathaly to work with her. Nathaly loved watching her mom, a sensor technician, work. When Nathaly was fifteen, she began working alongside her mom after school and during the summers. One pivotal moment Nathaly recalls was having mastered the skill of soldering, taught by her mom, and gaining praise from her boss. Nathaly knew at that point that she wanted to earn a Mechanical Engineering degree.

Nathaly’s work ethic and can-do attitude also come from her mom. Nathaly enjoys working on large teams where everyone brings their expertise to the project. She loves watching architects turn her designs into beautifully finished new or restored buildings.

Nathaly appreciates her mom for introducing her to engineering at an early age and helping her to realize her passion. Nathaly hopes that more women in the construction field will mentor young girls to peak their interests in  construction related jobs.