As a Latina immigrant working in construction, Perlla Deluca is no stranger to being the “only” in a room. 

Deluca is the owner and CEO of Southeast Constructors. Since joining the industry 28 years ago, she’s worked all aspects of construction and experienced all kinds of reception when she walks on to a job site. People have assumed she is unable to answer their questions. She’s been called rude names. 

She’s turned that animosity into progress. She co-founded the Iowa School of Construction, where half of the students are women. She also founded the Pink Hardhat Foundation, a nonprofit that provides financial support for women looking to upskill in the construction industry. 

Deluca believes women can succeed in the construction industry, and she continues to work to ensure the women coming after her don’t have to experience being the “only” in a room, no matter their identity. 

She shared with us eight tips and examples from her experiences navigating situations as one of the only people with an identity in a given space. 

1. Do what you love.

According to the National Association of Home Builders, women made up 10.8% of the construction workforce in 2023. Those numbers might seem intimidating to a young woman hoping to break into the industry. 

Deluca believes a genuine love and desire for the work can push those young women past whatever barriers stand in their way.

“I don’t try to convince, because I don’t believe in doing what you don’t love,” Deluca said. “I want girls that already think they have these skills or know they like working with their hands. You should choose what you love and then get trained on it.” 

2. Gravitate toward those who support you.

Deluca focuses more on the men who champion her in the industry rather than those who don’t believe in her. Like her Southeast Constructors co-founder, Joe, whom she bought out from the business. 

“The ones that I feel their support, I gravitate towards. I’m lucky that my partner is one of those guys that think women can do it all, and he always supported me,” Deluca said. “He works for me now, so there was never that friction.” 

3. Don’t feel guilty for going after what you want.

When Deluca first moved from Brazil to Florida, she worked odd jobs such as cleaning boats and houses. She spoke with some men working in construction and learned how much money they made.

“I was like, ‘OK, I think I’m in the wrong field,’” she said. 

The pursuit of money and power can often be interpreted as a masculine trait. Deluca encourages women to go after what they want and to never diminish their successes.

“Money is also power. When you have money, you can change things, you can do things you believe in,” she said. “I think women need to stop feeling guilty about money or being powerful.” 

4. Do your due diligence. 

When people make an assumption about you based on who you are or how you look, doing your due diligence and knowing your stuff can help you earn their respect. 

“Do your homework, learn who is going to be in the room,” Deluca said. “If you’re going into a new project, find out all of the details of that project, because knowledge is power. I think you feel a lot less uncomfortable if you know the answer to whatever question comes across.” 

5. You won’t get anywhere if you don’t ask.

Women can often deal with imposter syndrome and feelings of not belonging, especially those who work in a male-dominated field. But when you have a goal, you can’t be afraid of standing up for yourself. 

“I’m not scared of speaking up if something’s uncomfortable,” Deluca said. “And I always tell my students, especially my girl students, ‘You won’t go anywhere if you don’t ask. The worst they can say is no.’” 

6. Don’t waste your time trying to change some people’s minds. 

Misogyny is a deeply ingrained system that many people don’t know how to escape. Deluca believes trying to change some people’s perspectives can be a waste of valuable energy. 

“I don’t believe at this time and place, we are going to be able to change everybody’s mind,” she said. “I’d rather use my time and keep moving forward and showing successful projects. If I get caught up on fighting with them on the petty stuff, then I don’t feel like I’m moving forward.” 

7. Be action-oriented.

Years ago, Deluca spoke with Gov. Kim Reynolds about the labor shortage in construction in Iowa. Deluca decided she wanted to be the change people kept hoping for.

“People talk about the labor shortage, but are we going to change that? Are we just going to sit on our own? How much awareness do you need? What are we going to do about it?” Deluca said. 

This conversation led to Deluca opening the Iowa School of Construction to recruit more students into the industry. The Pink Hardhat Foundation was the next step as Deluca realized her female students often needed help affording additional certification. One step allowed Deluca to change the lives of many. 

8. Make things better for the people coming after you. 

The Iowa School of Construction has a class dedicated to behavior toward women on a construction site. 

Deluca has experienced prejudice on sites herself, and she knows that if people are treating the owner that way, they’re likely doing worse for the women who work for her. 

She wants to help young women in the industry feel their own power so they don’t have to experience poor treatment, too. 

“I think that women are realizing in the last couple of decades how powerful we are,” Deluca said. “I see this as an opportunity to raise other women up, to show them that it’s doable. I’ve been in the industry for so long, I feel an obligation to do something about it. I feel like when you’re the ‘only,’ it’s sometimes not the best situation but it’s actually an opportunity to bring other ones into the room.”