Piqua Daily Call — Saturday, April 21, 2007

Growing number of girls aren’t

afraid to get their hands dirty
BY BECCA MANNING
UVJVS female enrollment in traditionally male programs
Staff Writer 98-99 99-00 00-01 01-02 02-03 03-04 04-05 05-06 06-07
bmanning@dailycall.com Auto Collision 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 2 1
Auto Services 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 2
PIQUA — Those who say a Auto Tech 0 0 1 1 1 1 1 2 2
woman’s place is in the Carpentry 1 0 2 2 1 0 0 3 3
kitchen haven’t met Chelsey Electronics 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 2 3
White. Machine Tech 0 0 1 0 1 1 0 1 2
The Piqua senior comes Welding 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 3 3
from a family of welders and is —Enrollment data provided by UVJVS Student Services

learning the trade herself

through the welding program
at the Upper Valley JVS. And
she’s not afraid to get her
hands — or her face — dirty.
“You walk out of there (the
lab) at the end of the day and
your face is all black and
you’ve got your steel-toed
boots on and it makes you feel
all macho,” White said. “Grow-
ing up as a little girl I was
raised around nothing but
boys. I’m the only girl in my
family, and seeing my grandpa
See GROWING/Page 10A
Growing
Continued from page 1A

weld, and my mom and dad

are welders, so I just pretty
much picked it up.”
White is one of a handful
of JVS students who have
chosen career paths that
many would consider non-
traditional for women.
“I’m really seeing much MCJUNKIN KNISLEY HOPKINS FLECKENSTEIN KULYN
more willingness of females
to consider nontraditional try to help them more than is told her they’d rather take a grams after graduation said
programs and to choose needed. class they like than what they have enjoyed their
them,” said JVS Supervisor “Sometimes I have to tell their friends expect them to classes.
Carol Baer, who is in charge them to back off, I can do it,” take. Houston High School jun-
of student enrollment and re- Kulyn said. “I think there’s a change ior Hannah Hopkins is en-
cruiting. Houston High School sen- in society, where there are rolled in Carpentry but said
Among those students tak- ior Katelyn Fleckenstein, en- role models for women who she wants to go to college to
ing on “male” fields is Miami rolled in Auto Collision, said, have chosen nontraditional become a teacher.
East High School senior “Last year when I first routes from physicians to en- She has enjoyed “showing
Mindy Kulyn, who is enrolled started, the guys in the lab gineers to astronauts, and up” her six brothers — only
in Auto Technology. were always trying to help that’s communicated to one of whom also went into
“My dad owns an auto body me do stuff.” women that you can do carpentry — and even has
shop, Castle Collision, so I’ve But gradually, the teachers whatever you want to do,” found a favorite skill.
just been around that since I and the male students have she said. “I think that’s fil- “I love to roof,” she said.
was little,” Kulyn said. “My gotten used to having girls in tered down and women are Troy High School senior
two older sisters did ‘girl stuff’ the class. starting to embrace and be- Caitlin Knisley chose the
... I was always the one that “I think welding is my fa- lieve that.” auto services program be-
liked big trucks and stuff like vorite thing because that’s Baer said she tries to use cause she enjoyed taking
that so I just thought I could the thing they were giving me nontraditional students in apart engines and wanted to
make it a business.” the most trouble about, try- school materials such as go to the JVS. Though she
Jackson Center High ing to help me learn it,” she pamphlets and videos to help doesn’t plan on pursuing
School junior Amber said. In a recent class compe- let prospective students see auto services as a career, she
McJunkin is enrolled in Elec- tition, Fleckenstein was the opportunities available. has gained experience work-
tronics at the JVS. named one of the top welders. And the students already ing in a “man’s job,” which
“I had a friend that was in McJunkin, too has found enrolled in the programs are she said will help her in the
it before and he was telling her talent. encouraging younger women future.
me all about it, how much fun “Soldering is my favorite to follow in their footsteps. “I want to be a tattoo
he had, and I enjoyed working thing to do — because I’m ac- “One of the seniors last artist, and that’s dominated
with electronic things, taking tually right-handed but I can year, she was kind of worried by men,” she said, adding,
them apart and putting them solder left-handed, and most about me dropping out of it “I’ve always got along good
back together, so electronics guys in our lab can’t do that,” because I was kind of shy at with guys.”
was really the field for me to she said. first, but the senior was talk- Despite the fact that, as
get into,” McJunkin said. Baer said female students ing to me and she said, ‘They the girls said, “there’s less
Many of these students are seem more likely to enroll in think it’s a man’s world but drama” in their program labs
the only females in their pro- nontraditional programs it’s up to us to prove we can than in other parts of the
grams, but for the most part than male students because do it too,’” Fleckenstein said. school, at the end of the day
they said they feel like “just of basic perceptions. When younger girls take many of them still enjoy
one of the guys.” “I think there’s that fear tours of the JVS, Kulyn said hanging with their female
“In the beginning of my among males that they’ll be she likes to show them friends or being with their
junior year, the welding considered somehow less a around. boyfriends.
teachers didn’t really know male if they choose nontradi- “I tell them some guys are “I still wear girls’ clothes. I
how to handle it because it tional careers. The economic going to be sexist about it, still paint my nails and stuff,
had been a while since they’d opportunities open to women but most of the guys don’t but I’m not sitting here talk-
had a female in the welding who choose nontraditional ca- care. They just want to be ing about ‘Is my hair alright?’
lab. And they caught them- reers are a real incentive. there working. Most guys I live to get dirty,” White said.
selves a couple times just They can make a lot more will pretty much protect you Others are looking forward
going to the guys and asking money in, say, welding than like they’re your big brother,” to a chance to be a little girly.
the guys,” White said. in some more traditional ca- she said. “I can’t wait until prom so I
Some of the girls said the reers,” Baer said. Even students who don’t can wear a dress,” Hopkins
male students in their labs Some of her students have plan to stay with their pro- said.