When we spoke with carpenter apprentice Mireya Martha last week, she had just received a print of the photograph below from Ken Karagozian, who was featured in our previous biweekly newsletter. Mireya started at the Project in March of this year and is currently helping to set the forms on a Y-Bent to prepare for a concrete pour.
Mireya enjoys being part of the carpenters' union and a group of workers that feels like an extended family. She lives only a few miles away from the Sixth Street Viaduct and crossed the original bridge countless times. She explained that she likes working on large scale projects like this and the satisfaction of helping to build her community. A favorite part of Mireya's job, she said, is the amazing views she gets while working: the palm trees, freeways, and downtown buildings of the city where she was born and raised.
Mireya's brother and a friend are both carpenters, and they encouraged her to consider a career in carpentry as well. Mireya has always been crafty at home and comfortable with do-it-yourself projects around the house, so she liked the idea of working with her hands. So far, the experience has been more rewarding than she could have imagined.
Prior to starting at the Project, Mireya worked on the construction of the new Los Angeles Rams stadium in Inglewood. The $2.6 billion arena is part of a larger 300 acre development that is transforming the neighborhood. Mireya told us she enjoyed working on the stadium because she knew she was part of creating a new history for the city.
When Mireya first started at the Rams stadium, she was encouraged to see other women working in construction, but still felt like she had to prove herself. She let her hard work speak for itself. After several months, when her job was done, some of Mireya's fellow construction workers confided that they didn't initially think she would last more than a couple of weeks. She was happy to prove them wrong.
Mireya plans to continue changing minds and says that she hopes her work will inspire other women to pursue their goals. We think she's doing just that.
