Photo courtesy of Eva Carroll.
Drawn to welding, electrical and building classes in high school, Eva Carroll was interested in more than traditional academics. As a senior, and the only female on her school’s SkillsUSA TeamWorks team, she took home second place honors for South Carolina.
This past June, Carroll stepped into the spotlight again — this time as the only female medalist in the SkillsUSA National Championship in the TeamWorks college/postsecondary division— representing Midland Technical College.
“It is pretty cool to go up there and stick out not just because I’m a girl, but being a girl in this field,” she said. “I don’t have the same physical strength but I can work as hard as the guys. Some of them do this everyday as their job, and I still outshined them.”
TeamWorks — one of SkillsUSA’s hallmark events — brings teams of four competitors together to build a construction project. Each team is given a detailed blueprint and special instructions, and develop and present their action plan. Team members demonstrate their ability to work together using their carpentry, roofing, electrical, plumbing and masonry skills. Judging is based on a number of factors from individual presentation skills, to proper use and accountability of tools and equipment, organization, safety and cleanliness of the jobsite, and the rate of completion. Carroll’s winning team included teammates Hank Cooper, Kameron Knight and Kaleb Lawrie.
Robbie Sharpe, program director for Midlands’ Building Construction Technology program and the TeamWorks advisor, describes Carroll as a generational talent.
“When she walks into class, she rolls up her sleeves, pays attention and she will always ask why. She is hungry to learn and carries herself well,” Sharpe said. “In competition as well, she is right in the thick of everything. She is an outstanding young woman and I think she is going to be very successful.”
The two first met after Carroll competed with SkillsUSA as a high school student. When her teacher refused to travel with her team to nationals, the South Carolina state director asked Sharpe to guide them through competition week.
“I saw talent and real ability in her. She brings a lot to the table,” Sharpe said.
Wired to Win
A career in construction wasn’t an obvious choice for Carroll. Her first exposure to the field wasn’t until her sophomore year at the Center for Advanced Technical Studies, near Columbia, S.C.
“My parents are not in the trades and I was not raised around that stuff. But when I was little, I was always very crafty. I would take apart my toys and put them back together,” she said.
Her initial foray in building started with electrical work. “It was an intro class and I was like, huh, this is a lot of fun.” A second year of electrical work coupled with a course in building technology clinched it. “From them on, I loved construction work and I really loved building things.”
Carroll admits her very first time competing with SkillsUSA was stressful because she didn’t fully understand what was expected of her. Regardless, she enjoyed the experience.
That natural tenacity paid off at Midlands Tech, where the Building Construction Technology program is sizable — attracting male and female students — and Carroll had to compete for her spot. It’s also the only technical college in South Carolina that participates in the SkillsUSA college/postsecondary construction competitions.
From their experience when Carroll was in high school, Sharpe knew she could handle the pressure.
“We start out working together with framing the house up, but when it comes to the smaller sections, like plumbing, electric and roofing, we each have an assigned area,” Carroll said.
Not surprisingly, she was selected to be the electrician on the team.
“My work is very clean and that is why they want me to do it. When I work on an electrical panel, it takes time but it is worth it. It looks neat and organized.”
At the high school level, TeamWorks national championship competition draws around 40 teams each representing different states. The college/postsecondary division is smaller, about 15 teams, but no less competitive.
“It is a lot of people everywhere all at once,” Carroll said. “It is very busy and very hectic.”
As the second day of competition wrapped up in Atlanta this past June, Carroll felt optimistic. Winning the silver medal was exhilarating and meant she and her teammates also took home a pile of new hand tools, some basic safety equipment and, importantly, scholarship money.
This spring, her final semester at Midlands Tech, Carroll plans to compete in SkillsUSA once again and has set her sights on another championship medal.
Sharpe credits students like Carroll with helping to break down the stigma around women in the trades. In his region of South Carolina, he sees greater acceptance and estimates up to 30 percent of his students are female.
Sharpe carries a notable winning record with SkillsUSA, taking his teams to the medal podium for the past four consecutive years — winning first place in 2022, second place in 2023, third place in 2024, and second place with Carroll and her teammates this year.
“It is just being passionate about the trades,” he said, “As part of our curriculum, we build, in essence, a 1,600-square-foot turnkey house. So starting in January, when we know who the four team members are, we begin spending extra hours beyond class time to run through any scenario we think could get thrown at them on the competition floor. The name of the game is composure and being confident in what you are doing.”
Sharpe is a big fan of the values that SkillsUSA imparts and believes that healthy competition is a confidence booster for his students. The annual competitions also provide a measuring stick for his own work as an instructor. If his team comes up with a low score in a particular area, such as plumbing, Sharpe knows where to focus his teaching.
Looking ahead to what’s next, Carroll is considering a few different career routes, including working as an estimator for residential or commercial construction, teaching skilled trades or perhaps a four-year degree and shifting to designing houses or project management.
“I love doing the physical work but I also like looking at blueprints. Me, being a woman, it is harder to be in charge. You have to earn that respect but I could definitely do it,” Carroll said. “My advice to any women interested in the trades is to be confident in your abilities. Work as hard as you can. You never know who is watching you work.”
