Shanda Walburn

I attribute my success to the incredible support I've received and my determination to keep growing. This industry, and especially my company, has been a game-changer for me. When I was going through my divorce with two small children, MWH Constructors didn't just offer me a job - they waited 9 months while I went through court to get permission to move, rented an office in Tucson for me during that time, then relocated my entire family to Colorado and helped me go back to school. That kind of support gave me the foundation I needed to rebuild my life. But I also had to learn to believe in myself and stand my ground, especially as a woman in construction. Early in my career, I faced situations where I wasn't always supported or taken seriously, but that actually made me stronger and more independent. It forced me to prove myself over and over until I became this person who says 'No, I've done this a million times, I know the best way to handle this.' I've learned that you have to constantly push yourself to learn new skills and grow, because nobody will push you more than yourself. And I've been passionate about creating that same support system for others - whether it's through the training programs I've built, the audit processes that help our project teams get what they need, or the Women in Construction group I started to bring more women into this incredible industry.

The greatest piece of advice I ever heard was someone telling me to believe in myself, because I am amazing and I just need to understand that. It's unfortunate that I had to hear this from another person to make it click - I couldn't just tell myself this and believe it at the time. But they explained that if you start believing in yourself, everybody else starts seeing it too. If you act like you don't believe in yourself, then others won't believe in you either. That advice was transformative for me, especially coming out of a marriage that wasn't super supportive and going through a divorce that brought my self-esteem down. Learning to truly believe in myself changed everything about how I showed up in my career and how others responded to me.

My advice to young women entering construction is to really look into all your options, because this industry isn't just about careers in the field. There are so many different careers in construction that are specific to the industry but can translate anywhere else. The biggest piece of advice I give - and I've been telling my daughter this lately - is to constantly leave yourself open to learning and growing. If you have an opportunity to develop a new skill, jump on it, because it only makes you more marketable and better at your current job, plus it opens so many doors for your future. Don't get complacent - just keep growing. And remember that nobody will push you more than yourself, so you should always push yourself. If somebody gives you a no, then go to a different door, because you're going to get a yes eventually. Keep believing in yourself and standing your ground, because you are capable of so much more than you might think.

The biggest challenge and opportunity in construction right now is bringing more women into the industry. At my company, we only have 18% female employees, and that needs to change. One of the major challenges women face is the attitude that we don't really understand construction or can't support the work effectively. I've seen this 'good ol' boy' culture where women aren't always treated equally - things like being called 'darling' in the office, which even if not meant to be degrading, shows we're not being treated as equals. There's also been a huge cultural shift happening over the last 15 years, with more understanding that we can all do anything we want to regardless of gender. For me personally, having to prove myself and stand my ground in situations where I wasn't always supported actually made me stronger and more independent. It forced me to believe in myself and recognize that I am very good at my job. The opportunity now is to create support systems and pathways for more women to enter this field, which is why I started the Women in Construction group at my company and why we're doing outreach at universities and high schools to show young women all the incredible opportunities available in construction.

The values most important to me are honesty, communication, and support. Support is incredibly important to me because it carries over both professionally and personally. If you don't feel supported at home, you don't have that safe space to come home to, and the same is true in your career. You need to feel like people support you, and it doesn't always have to be everybody - it could be one or two people. There have been times in my career when my boss didn't support me, so I would find somebody else in the company who could provide that support, someone I could go to for advice and guidance. I also believe strongly in the value of believing in what you do. We can't go to work every day if we don't feel like we matter and that we're doing something big and wonderful. These values have guided me through difficult times and helped me build the support systems I'm now creating for others in my company.