Girls Inc. hosts ‘Women in Construction’ event to break barriers in male-dominated field
Kristin Cline grew up loving cars, but she never saw women like herself working under the hood.
The world of wrenches, grease, and horsepower seemed reserved for men — until she decided to carve out a space for herself. Now, as a mechanic, automotive writer, and enthusiast known as Grease Girl, she’s making sure young women today see the possibilities she never had.
“One of the things that I really value is stretching myself, and that comes through breaking barriers, whether true or imagined,” Cline said. “So for me, being able to be even just a little part of that for somebody else is just really important to me.”
On Saturday, Cline stood in front of a room full of girls, from elementary students to high school seniors, at Girls Inc. of Tarrant County’s “Women in Construction” event. The interactive event brought women from the construction and automotive industries to speak about their careers, giving young girls a firsthand look at paths they might not have considered.
Cline, one of the event’s featured speakers, shared how stepping beyond perceived limitations helped her build a life around her passion — and how the next generation can do the same.
“To be a female working in the automotive industry, and also as an enthusiast in the automotive industry, I didn’t see that growing up.” Cline said. “So being that, and connecting with girls, middle-schoolers and high-schoolers, and showing them that that is an option for them, I think, really opens up all of the options that they may be capable of and broadens their experiences.”
This event is part of the Girls Inc. initiative called STEM Saturday: Strong Careers where they showcase career choices that young girls are not exposed to on a daily basis including auto mechanics and construction.
These careers also involve math, physics, engineering, and technology, which are all essential parts of their STEM program.
Karla Lopez Calderon, the AVP of Programs for Girls Inc. Tarrant County, said the goal of this event is to ensure they provide the girls with the necessary knowledge and guidance to ultimately build enough confidence to pursue one of these careers if they are interested.
“We want them to feel that it doesn’t matter their gender and doesn’t matter that they’re girls,” Lopez Calderon said. “If they’re interested in the industry of construction or auto mechanics, there are already females there that can guide them through the process.”
The first half of the event began with presentations and interactive activities led by board members of the National Association of Women in Construction (NAWIC) Fort Worth chapter, where they talked about their jobs and how they were able to make it in a male-dominated field.
Women make up about 11% of the construction-industry workforce in the United States, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Jessica Steel, the President of the NAWIC Fort Worth Chapter with 13 years of experience in the construction industry, said there are higher expectations put on you as a woman in this field.
“I have had clients that have thought that maybe I wasn’t the best person to be on the job, strictly because I was a woman in this industry,” Steel said.
Despite the expectations, Steel hopes to inspire the young women gathered for the event to break the gender stereotypes by bringing a diverse selection of women to show that they can succeed in this industry.
“We want them to see women being successful in what they’re doing, whether it’s in the construction industry or in another industry,” Steel said. “They have role models out there and can see women being successful in what they do.”
After a lunch break, the event concluded with presentations and activities with a panel of five women who work in the automotive industry.
Along with Cline, the panel included Toyota engineers Amanda Jinks and Grace Golema along with fabrication welder Kristin Gonzales and Porsche technician Nhu Nguyen via Zoom.
“The person who is going to doubt you the most is you,” Jinks said when asked about what advice she would give to someone on the fence of joining the automotive industry. “If you can just push past that, then really the sky’s the limit. People want to see you succeed. Find a mentor. See if you can find somebody that’ll let you do a job shadow. Just explore what your options are. Figure out what you love.”
Golema said there will always be people who will question your knowledge and to not let that intimidate you.
“You are smart and very capable,” Golema said. “In a sense, all that experience and knowledge that you gain, even though that person who doubts you may not see it, in a sense, you are proving them wrong. So just rise above and be awesome.”
This story was originally published March 8, 2025 at 5:36 PM.
