Ashton White, better known as “That Masonry Girl”, is paving the way for young women in the construction industry (excuse the pun!). For the past five years, Ashton has been defying the odds by competing in a heavily male-dominated industry and is the first female to win Post Secondary Skills USA, a national-level competition. For two consecutive years she took home the number one spot, cementing her place as one of the best young masons in the country (last pun, we promise.)
Ashton fell in love with masonry in her junior year of high school, surprising her friends and family who really had little idea what it was all about. The first two years competing were a massive learning curve, learning skills that were completely foreign to her. However, the more she practiced, the more obvious it became that not only was masonry a passion, but a talent as well. One of Ashton’s biggest strengths is her confidence. She tells Masonry Magazine, “I feel like I can do a lot. If I wanted to go lay brick, I’d be able to do so. If I wanted to be a construction manager, I feel like I could do that as well.” It’s this can-do attitude which has made her a force to be reckoned with.
Currently a full-time student working toward a construction degree, Ashton has ambitions to start her own company one day. In the meantime, she is working as a mason outside of school and pinpoints her favorite part of the job as being able to step back, see a completed project and be able to say “I built that”.
Every opportunity she has had to compete, she has taken it. She is bold, resilient and unafraid. Women in the construction industry are massively underrepresented but Ashton is ensuring that the female voice is heard through her popular Instagram account. Through social media she is building a platform that shares the challenges and wins throughout her career in an authentic, fun and relatable way. By connecting with other female tradies, Ashton has created a community where, women especially, don’t need to feel alone in the industry.
Her journey has been an overwhelmingly positive one, she never felt like she was treated differently by the boys. Ever since high school she felt accepted by her peers regardless of her gender. Hopefully this will encourage other young women to not let being a female get in the way of pursuing what they want to do. Ashton is not only surviving in construction, she is thriving!
Ashton has been an inspiration for other women who might have felt out of their depth in pursuing a career in construction. “If it’s something that you love, don’t let the fear of being a female in a male-dominated field stop you. It’s a great industry and I completely recommend going into it.” A trailblazer in her own right, there’s no doubt that Ashton’s success is only in its infancy. Follow along her journey at @thatmasonrygirl to see her path unfold. We can’t wait to see what’s in store for her, and for other powerful women in the construction industry.
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