Her Story
About Ronna
My dad was a general contractor, and I always loved to work on projects with him, whether it was finishing a basement or building a table. I just love to build things from when I was a little kid. My first career path was in banking, and I was just like, I can't do this. Everybody was telling me I should go into architecture or interior design. So I went to school for interior design at the Colorado Institute of Art, but found out they weren't an accredited college, so I switched to Rocky Mountain College of Art and Design and switched my major to architecture. I got my bachelor's degree and went to work for a small builder in Colorado. A position opened up in engineering at a company that built cooling towers for power plants, and I applied and got the position. I just started excelling in it and loving my job. I worked building cooling towers for power plants for 8 years, then moved to material handling and mining division and worked in industrial mining for about 10 years, then went to oil and gas and worked for about 10 years. I'm currently working for Bechtel on one of the projects that's going to be the first nuclear power plant in the United States. A typical day looks like putting together engineering construction documents from the specs for what we're building or the specs for the equipment that's going to go into the facilities, everything from the gauge and hole gauges in the steel to specking the right type of steel and the right gauge of steel for the structure.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Ronna
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to determination. I was just born to do what I do, and I didn't let anything stop me. I had a lot of obstacles within my life that would have stopped me from getting to where I am today, and I just didn't let them. I tried to keep the bigger picture in front of me and focus on the bigger picture, and just get through the obstacles as they arise. You have to have that mentality. You have to hold on to your dreams and keep picturing where you want to see yourself in the future, and just keep working towards it.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is not to give up. My motto has always been that the work you're doing now is opening doors that you can't see in the future. No matter how many times you get told no, or how many times you feel like you failed or you want to stop, every day that you put in is opening doors for you in the future that you can't see yet. You just have to keep persevering through it.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
You can do anything you put your mind to. Absolutely anything. That sounds cliche, but it's true. We limit ourselves more than society limits us. We think that we can't do something or we're not capable of doing something, and we limit ourselves more than anything. It's just that mindset that you have to realize that you can do anything. Just don't give up on your dreams. It doesn't matter if you have all the knowledge or all the know-how. Just showing up and being present and being there is over half the battle. Everybody started out somewhere, and you have to push yourself through those days when you're doubting yourself, because that's how you gain the knowledge and you get the tools that you need to succeed. You're not going to get them if you don't show up and you don't push yourself.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The economy is a huge obstacle for all of us to get around right now. The world's just a crazy place. All of us are, on a daily basis, maneuvering around obstacles and hills that we have to climb. Companies face the same thing. The economy puts a big damper on what companies are limited to do and what they can provide for their employees.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Integrity is definitely the most important value to me. Integrity goes across everything in life. If you live with integrity, then everything else is going to fall into place. That would be my highest value, along with honesty and just showing up. It doesn't matter if you have all the tools or you have all the knowledge. One of the big things is just showing up and being there.
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