It’s Women’s History Month and one South Florida retired veteran has cemented herself in the history books. Giselle Flores is a project manager for the construction company Grycon. She is the only woman working on-site.
Inspired by her grandparents, construction has always been a large area of interest for Giselle.
“From the very [beginning] I said I want to be an architect or a builder. That was my goal my entire life,” said Giselle.
To make her dreams come true, she moved from Puerto Rico when she was 17 years old, then joined the military in 2010 to help pay for college.
“I was super young and at the time it was the best decision I could’ve ever done. It gives you structure and life perspective so for me it was a great experience to serve in the military,” added Giselle.
When she was deployed to Afghanistan in 2012, Giselle said she was one of the few women in her unit. But that never intimidated her.
“I've never felt that was an issue or something to be afraid of. I believe in the inclusion strongly and I think that men and women are equal. Yes, we have different capabilities and capacities but we’re equal in all senses. They’re brothers to me,” said Giselle.
Data shows nationwide, there are over 1.1 million women working in construction, compared to 9.9 million men.
Senior project manager Charlie Adams said Giselle has set a standard, and going forward he hopes to have more women on staff.
“She’s great, she knows construction, she’s a self-starter, she knows the business and she does everything. She can run this job easily,” said Charlie.
Dominating two male-dominated industries, Giselle hopes to inspire women to go after their dreams, no matter how unattainable others think it is.
“I hope that I can inspire [women] to join these fields [or] any field that you feel passionate about. I don’t think it matters that you’re a woman. If you want to do it, you’ll do it,” said Giselle.
