As a young woman of color studying and working in the construction industry, Victoria Murguia developed thick skin early on. Over the years, she endured plenty of comments and pushback from male colleagues both in the classroom and on the job site. “But I don’t let it get to me. At this point, I’m not taking shit from anyone,” she says. Murguia’s confidence is well deserved. She just earned her bachelor’s degree in construction engineering management, with a minor in business, from Oregon State University. At the same time, she works full-time as a project engineer for Pence Construction, helping build a new elementary school in Cornelius. But her career actually launched way back in 2017, the year she graduated from the Viking House, Forest Grove High School’s Career and Technical Education construction program. Viking House students have built one high-end, single-level home every year for the last 49 years. The program also fledged a community of Career and Technical Education alumni who thrive in the construction trades and help each other up. “I wore my Viking House hoodie to a seminar given by Pence Construction my freshman year of college,” Murguia recalls. “Someone from the company, who also graduated from the program, saw it and asked if I was looking for an internship.” One interview later and Murguia has been at Pence ever since. She worked all through college on local projects she cares deeply about. “The whole reason I got into construction was to give back to the community I was raised in,” Murguia says. She describes getting to work on the new Cornelius Elementary School, part of the Forest Grove School District, as a “full-circle moment.” Building Future Career and Technical Education construction programs immerse Oregon high school students in the construction trades. What challenges await this next generation of builders? BY AMY MILSHTEIN | PHOTOS BY JASON E. KAPLAN Forest Grove CTE construction program alumna Victoria Murguia recently earned a B.A. in construction engineering management and is currently employed as a project engineer. This house is being built by high school students in Hermiston High School’s CTE construction program. the 35
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