Brianna Julious has discovered she likes building things that will last – including her career in construction.

Not so long ago, 24-year-old Bri found herself sort of on the sidelines of the construction industry. Working as a supervisor at Home Depot, she saw a lot of contractors come in for supplies. Soon she realized she was more interested in the work they were doing as builders than in selling them materials.

What surprised Bri was how quickly she could get off the sidelines and into the industry. Although she had always liked working with her hands, she had never considered a career in construction until she moved to Indianapolis and saw an ad for the BY Construction class. In short order, she completed the class and landed a job with HireDirect, a temp agency providing workers to Messer Construction.

Now she’s proud to be the only African-American female on the jobsite for the Performing Arts Center and Cantio Hotel, the Ball State University project that Messer serves as construction manager, and excited about the work she does there.

“I like the idea of creating things with my hands that will last forever and where people will build memories,” she said. She also likes that she’s making more money than before and gets paid every week.

As a general laborer tasked with traffic control, drainage, putting up safety fencing and more, Bri is eager to add to her skillset. She’d like to learn welding, plumbing and HVAC so she can be more marketable. She’s always been a hustler, she notes, adding that she has made her own business cards and wants to get some handyman jobs on the side. She also cuts hair and has made some money doing that on lunch break and after work.

Growing up in a small town with a lot of poverty, Bri didn’t have access to experiences that people in bigger cities do. But she now owns a car and is eager to share her experiences with her four young nephews.

“I like to tell people, don’t limit yourselves,” she said. “You can be in a high-ranking position, too, if you just put your mind to it. I walked a lot of battles and it took a while to find what made me happy.”

Stories like Bri’s wouldn’t be possible without support from Lilly Endowment – Thank you!