Girls living in small towns like Taft, Sinton, and Odem just to name a few, have a shot at having a career in construction, energy, and manufacturing.
“This is their job, their future. We don’t have to bring in outside people to take these outside jobs. That’s what started the conversation,” This One’s For the Gals Founder, Stephanie Hajducek said.
Over the last 3 years, Hajducek has spent time building This One’s For The Gals , a nonprofit organization.
“A couple of years ago, I saw a disconnect between the local industry partners and school districts. I didn’t see them engaging and helping them learn about these careers that outside their back door,” Hajducek said.
Hajducek first started to recruit girls at Sinton ISD. She soon discovered that smaller communities like Sinton lacked resources such as career exploration and workforce development.
“They weren’t lining up to attend this conference because they didn’t know what women in the industry meant and what career opportunities are open to them,” Stephanie Hajducek. “We did have our first success story. A girl that went to that first conference in Galveston and she had an opportunity to speak with a group of female instrument technicians and she got interested in that.”