Indigenous Women Entering the Construction Industry
“I Just Feel Pride”: Young Indigenous Women Emerging as Leaders in the Construction Industry
Growth in the construction industry is essential to economic development in Indigenous communities and nations. Today, thanks to the Construction Internship Program facilitated by Lakota Funds, young women are stepping forward as emerging leaders in construction–bringing energy, knowledge, and commitment to community to their work. Two of last year’s interns–Aubrie and Autumn–are now building their careers in the construction field, and building the homes, schools, hospitals, and other resources that tribal members need to thrive.
“Our Construction Internship Program is really helping our young people on our reservation to find jobs and, beyond that, build their careers. We’re opening that doorway for them,” said Nicole Pourier, Lakota Funds Business Development Coach and site coordinator for the Construction Internship Program. “And it’s been amazing to see Aubrie and Autumn progress in the ways they have. They are out there building for our community, and I’m just so proud–because it’s a reminder that women can do anything.”
Over nearly a decade, the Construction Internship Program (CIP)–a project launched by the South Dakota Native Homeownership Coalition and operated in partnership with six tribal communities–has provided over 275 Native youth with hands-on learning opportunities in the construction field. The program’s goal is to support a new generation of Native leaders with the skills and knowledge to address severe infrastructure challenges facing South Dakota’s Indigenous nations.
By pairing interns with local contractors, young people quickly develop real-world skills that support both personal and career development. Since the Construction Internship Program’s inception in 2017, it has led approximately 50 percent of participating interns to full-time employment, or even to launching their own businesses, in the building trades.
That’s exactly what happened to Aubrie and Autumn, Lakota Funds interns. They both excelled during their internships during the summer of 2024 and began to see themselves growing into careers in construction. In addition to developing practical mechanical and electrical skills, they worked closely with Nicole on developing their personal financial literacy–saving for their futures through Lakota Funds’ Matched Savings Accounts, getting support with their taxes, and much more. Based on their strong work ethic and deepening skills, both young women were asked to apply–and then hired full-time–by their sponsoring contractors.
When Aubrie first heard about the internship, she was curious about what doors it might open. After being accepted to the program, she and three other interns were placed with Murdock Electric Inc., a longstanding, Native-owned and operated business based on the Pine Ridge Reservation. As the only woman in her group, Aubrie felt she had to prove herself–but she immediately took to the work, taking on more and more complex tasks and earning the trust of her supervisors. Since she began at Murdocks, Aubrie has worked on major projects across Pine Ridge communities, from completing electrical work for school-based housing and a local bus garage to building the electrical framework for a new museum-level facility being constructed for The Heritage Center at Mahpiya Luta Owayawa/Red Cloud School.
For Aubrie, each new step in the internship process left her excited to deepen her knowledge–and with a sense of accomplishment seeing the community infrastructure she’s helping to create.
“First, it was just wiring switches and outlets, then I wanted to be able to land a few wires on a panel, and then recently I was able to complete my first full panel at the new Heritage Center. I like to say that’s my first building, since I was there from the very beginning, trenching for the underground work, to having the actual building come together,” she said. “Every day when I come in for work…I just feel pride.”
For Nicole, seeing Aubrie and Autumn thrive in and after the internship has been a powerful experience, and one she hopes will encourage other young people–and especially young women–to apply.
“I’m just so proud of them,” said Nicole. “I got to watch as the seeds were planted, and now seeing them grow and blossom is so exciting. I’m looking forward to this coming year and seeing our next round of interns share in these experiences and emerge as the leaders we need in the construction industry.”