RACINE — A Racine native and project manager is marking National Women in Construction Week by giving local students a firsthand look at a career in the industry.
WATCH: Project manager from Racine hopes to inspire next generation of girls in construction
Meagan DeGroot works for Hunzinger Construction Company, which is currently renovating Goodland Montessori in Racine. On Monday, she visited Goodland students — reading books, answering questions about the ongoing renovations and teaching them about her work in a historically male-dominated industry.
"I fell into construction as a project coordinator — absolutely loved it — and here we are now, project manager," DeGroot said.
Women made up just 11.3 percent of people employed in the construction industry in 2025, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
"The statistics are still very low," DeGroot said.
But for DeGroot, those numbers are motivation to make her presence known.
"But every day we see women bringing more and doing more than we ever have in the industry," DeGroot said.
Students at Goodland Montessori said the visit left an impression.
"I learned about how people build stuff," Goodland student Malaiysha Gregorey said.
"All the different jobs that you can have and how you build in it," Goodland second grader Grace Cyr said.
For DeGroot, the work is personal.
"I have a two-year-old daughter now, so it's only heightened what I want to do for the industry and make sure that there's awareness that this is an option and that you can do this," DeGroot said.
DeGroot said she is in the field every day overseeing budgets and schedules — and hopes visits like this one show young girls that they could be too.
"Just because you're a little girl or a woman doesn't mean that you can't be in construction," she said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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