Iris Soto Ruiz

I've been an educator my entire career, which is my most notable professional achievement. I started by teaching kindergarten through 6th grade, and then in 2018, I became interested in a new path in construction and workforce training. For the past 8 years, I've been working as an instructor for Women in Construction at a nonprofit organization. Working for a nonprofit means wearing many hats. In a typical day, I start by answering emails in the morning, then I receive the students and we work on the workforce portion of the program. I'm not just an instructor - I also serve as an interpreter for people who speak Spanish as their only language, and I manage the social media for the nonprofit. What I love most about my work is that college is not for everybody, and some people who don't want to go to college still want to have a good life for themselves and their families. They find that in construction, they can earn a livable wage. Sometimes people come to us working in jobs where they're working hard but not earning the money they deserve. In construction, they work hard and earn a livable wage. After they graduate from our program, they go and find jobs - that's our goal.