{"id":4482,"date":"2019-03-06T13:04:24","date_gmt":"2019-03-06T19:04:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/?p=4482"},"modified":"2019-04-22T11:59:15","modified_gmt":"2019-04-22T16:59:15","slug":"finding-her-calling-brynn-pavlica-student-spotlight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2019\/finding-her-calling-brynn-pavlica-student-spotlight\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding her calling: Brynn Pavlica, Student Spotlight"},"content":{"rendered":"

Five years into a pharmacy technician position, Brynn Pavlica decided she needed a change.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was bored out of my mind,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Pavlica quit and hit the road, working music festivals across the country. Driving between Kansas City and Oregon, she became enthralled with the wind farms and the power they generate.<\/p>\n

She felt inspired, but still possessed a nagging uncertainly about the direction of her life.<\/p>\n

She began considering a career in the trades, and remembered feeling drawn to Dunwoody\u2019s booth during college fairs at school. One aspect of Dunwoody particularly took hold. \u201cRed\u2019s always kind of been one of my favorite colors,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was as if it was calling to me, \u2018Come here. Come check it out,\u2019 \u201d said Pavlica, now an Electrical Construction & Maintenance student.<\/p>\n

A new chapter<\/strong><\/h5>\n

She craved hands-on training and when touring campus was directed to the electrical wing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe walked straight into Polly\u2019s [Friendshuh] class, and everybody had a board on their desk,\u201d Pavlica said.\u00a0 \u201cThey were plugging power in. They were making meters move.\u00a0 I was like, \u2018This is it. This is what I have to do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Pavlica found a role model in Friendshuh, Assistant Professor of\u00a0Electrical Construction & Maintenance.<\/p>\n

\u201cFemale students need mentors,\u201d Friendshuh said.\u00a0 \u201cMy job as a teacher is to identify the strengths of my students. I saw in her the ability to be a leader.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cShe has pushed me to do what I am capable of,\u201d Pavlica said.<\/p>\n

New connections<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Friendshuh encouraged her to join the National Electrical Contractors Association, Dunwoody Student Chapter, or NECA, as it is known in the trade.<\/p>\n

Pavlica is now the president and has served on two student panels \u2013 one in Nashville and another at the NECA National convention in Philadelphia.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve made connections all across the country,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Friendshuh recently recommended she attend a conference in Denver, sponsored by Kiewit, a Fortune 500 company and one of the largest construction and engineering organizations in North America.<\/p>\n

Female electrical and mechanical engineers filled the Denver conference room.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was the only tradeswoman there, but the common thread amongst everyone was, \u2018how do you survive as a woman in a male-dominated workforce?\u2019\u201d Pavlica said.<\/p>\n

Bringing in more women<\/strong><\/h5>\n
\"\"
Electrical Construction & Maintenance student, Brynn Pavlica, spent the morning with fourth graders at Centennial Elementary School in Richfield, explaining circuits, and teaching children how to strip wires.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Only about three-percent of the construction field consists of women in trade, according to the\u00a0National Association of Women in Construction. Overall the numbers of women working in the industry come in a little higher, around nine percent.<\/p>\n

Pavlica wants to see this number grow and is confident she is up to the challenge.<\/p>\n

In the fall, Pavlica along with other student NECA members, visited an elementary school in Richfield. She hopped from table to table showing the children how to strip wiring.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat I hope to do in the future with NECA is to continue to provide STEM application and STEM events and bring more women into the fold and reach a younger generation,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

Pavlica will graduate in December. Eventually, she plans to get her master electricians license and own her own business.<\/p>\n

A promising future<\/strong><\/h5>\n

In the meantime, she recently received news she immediately shared with Friendshuh: She landed a summer internship as an estimator at Kiewit in Eden Prairie.<\/p>\n

\u201cDunwoody is by far the greatest opportunity that I have ever taken a chance on,\u201d Pavlica said. \u201cWithin the first couple of weeks of my first semester, it was solidified.\u201d<\/p>\n

She said her confidence and enthusiasm is due in large part to the support she received from the faculty and staff.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think it is comparable to any other school,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n