Daniela Lopez Granada has a cordless drill … and she’s not afraid to use it.
The 23-year-old Point Cook carpenter is all smiles after taking out female apprentice of the year at the recent Master Builders Association of Victoria Apprenticeship of the Year awards, winning tools valued at thousands of dollars.
“I never expected I was going to win,” she said.
“When they mentioned my name, I got really nervous, because English is not my first language.
“I was scared I would forget all my English [when I accepted the award].”
The fourth-year carpentry apprentice works with residential building company Joncol Building Services and will be fully qualified by the end of this year.
“It’s been fantastic. I’m very feminine but I’m not afraid of getting dirty.
“When someone walks on site, I do get looks and people will ask ‘are you working here?’ But then I chat with them and they say ‘good on you’.”
Ms Lopez Granada said her favourite part of the job was seeing the finished product.
“We do a lot of renovations and I love how you can walk into a house, and it’s a little bit crappy to begin with, and then seeing the transformation you’ve done with your own hands at the end.”
She encouraged other women to pick up tools and give a trade a go.
“Women should be able to do whatever they want to do.
“Being a carpenter doesn’t mean being a tomboy – I still match my earrings to my top and I try not to get my hair too dirty but it doesn’t mean that I’m a princess on the job.”
