TAMPA, Fla. — It’s the kickoff to Women in Construction Week, and in 2022, Julianna Nickel traded in the crown for the hard hat, retiring from beauty pageants and entering a fulfilling career in the construction industry.
“Ms. Clearwater Outstanding Teen, Ms. Manatee County Outstanding Teen, I was Ms. St. Petersburg and then I actually held the title of Ms. Gainesville for two years because it was Covid so I got an extra year to hold that role as well,” said Nickel.
However, Nickel now holds a different title: Senior Project Engineer with JE Dunn Construction.
“I just always sort of had this natural attraction to buildings and seeing things change on the side of the road as I would drive to school or practice or whatever I was doing and found out through a friend about the Construction Management Program at UF,” said Nickel
Julianna says walking off the runway and onto the construction site wasn’t as challenging as some would think.
“You know the skills the Ms. America organization teaches equipped and empowered me to really be a leader in any field that I chose and for me it just happened to be construction,” said Nickel.
Julianna says the interview portion of the pageants has been particularly useful in her current role.
“Being able to communicate with a wide audience of people about the causes you are passionate about, who you are, and share your story and that goes a long way in the construction world because we are constantly communicating with a variety of trade partners, and who need people to get on board to our plan, the work we are trying to do and the ways we are trying to impact our community,” said Nickel.
She can often be found at job fairs back at UF as a voice in the community for all women out there, that the construction industry is a fantastic opportunity, you can be tough and glamorous.
“To young women who maybe want to consider this career path I believe that hard work pays off, if you invest in yourself, invest in your network and really set your mind to something, you can achieve whatever that dream looks like for you and hopefully, it’s on the job site, we need more women in the industry,” said Nickel.
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