CAWIC presents bursaries to students pursuing construction careers

TORONTO — The Canadian Association of Women in Construction (CAWIC) recently presented bursaries to four female students in post-secondary institutions who aspire to careers in construction.

The 2017 bursary recipients were honoured during CAWIC’s holiday event held recently at the Estates of Sunnybrook in Toronto.

CAWIC is a not-for-profit association supporting women in the Canadian construction industry and one of its mandates is to promote education and encourage women to pursue careers in the field.

Each year CAWIC organizes several fundraising events, the proceeds of which are allocated to a bursary fund, states the CAWIC website. The bursary committee selects the recipients from a shortlist of candidates who are chosen based on meeting the required criteria.

Raquel Diego, a third-year honours student in Construction Management at George Brown College, is the recipient of this year’s CAWIC General Bursary.

Diego’s interest in construction was sparked from her time spent in El Salvador where she had the opportunity to watch and learn from her father, who built their home, states the website. This past summer, Diego studied and worked abroad as a teaching assistant at the Shanghai Urban Management College. She is also on the Dean’s Honour List.

Darcie Easton also received the CAWIC General Bursary. As an honours graduate from George Brown College’s Construction Trades Techniques Program, Easton has decided to further her education at Humber College in the Home Renovation Program, states the release. She also takes carpentry classes.

The recipient of the General Contractors Section Toronto Bursary is Niloofarsadat Heirani who moved to Canada to continue her education as a civil engineer upon graduating from high school.

She is currently enrolled at Ryerson University’s undergraduate program for Civil Engineering and is both an honours student and on the Dean’s list. She hopes to work as a structural engineer.

Jessica Vazquez was the recipient of the CAWIC Female Leadership Bursary.

A third-year Architectural Technologies student at George Brown College, Vazquez’s belief in environmental sustainability stems from her influencer, architect Ken Yeang, states the website. Vazquez currently works as a site co-ordinator.