Katie Estupinan, a Sonoma County-based member of UBC Local 751 in the Northern California Carpenters Regional Council, was featured in North Bay Biz, in an article exploring the challenges faced by women in construction—and, in Katie’s case, the rewards of working union.

Here is what Katie had to say:

“College is great, but not everyone is interested in going to college. This work keeps me physically active, and I like that each project is always different. Even if I’m doing similar tasks, I still have to figure things out and challenge myself. I like the problem-solving and the different scenery and constantly learning something new. Working in an office is the same thing every day and that gets tiring. Even though this is physical work, it’s a good kind of exhaustion.”