18-year-old shares success story after trading college for carpenter’s tools

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Taylor Tekampe is only 18 years old but is earning good money compared to most peers her age. While other high school graduates are entering college and wading through student loans, she said she earns while she learns as a carpentry apprentice at Kenosha-based Riley Construction.

After graduating from Wilmot Union High School in Kenosha, Tekampe started classes at the Carpenters Training Institute in Pewaukee with hopes of developing a career in the trades. For her four-year apprenticeship with Riley, she talks to local high school students about the benefits of a construction career.

“I tell them if they have a really good work ethic, it’s a really good career to get into. You’ll have great benefits, great retirement and the full nine yards. There’s no (college) debt. What I say to everyone is, if you don’t know what you want to do, get into the trades. Once you start working, you’ll figure out what you want to do faster,” she added.

In October, there were around 8 million people working in the U.S., according to the Associated General Contractors of America. Women make up nearly 10% of the construction industry, statistics from the National Association of Women in Construction showed. Around 4% of carpenters across the nation we women, according to Statista.

Tekampe said her teacher, Mike Gentile, inspired her to work in the construction trades. At first, she took a woodworking class but later found that construction carpentry was a better fit.

“It all started when I took my construction class at Wilmot. My teacher, Mr. Gentile, really inspired me to look more in the trades and told me about how it was a good way of living. He saw in me that I was a good worker, and it would be a good fit for me,” she added.

Before graduating, Tekampe had her first construction experience when she and other students volunteered to help build a house for Habitat for Humanity-Kenosha. “We built all the walls and had them shipped out,” she explained.

Gentile also connected Tekampe to her current apprenticeship at Riley, where a superintendent went directly to Wilmot to interview her, she said.

“He pretty much hired me on the spot. I was nervous because I didn’t know what I was headed towards. But it went very well. I was very fortunate for the opportunity,” Tekampe added.

On the job, Tekampe said the most fascinating part of carpentry is the feeling of accomplishment at the end of the day. She added that her superintendents at Riley also served as role models as well as teachers. Working outdoors is also a bonus.

Tekampe said her future aspirations were finishing her apprenticeship, working her way up the construction ladder and eventually getting into a managerial role. She said her immediate challenges were learning new things but was willing to step up to the challenge.

“It’s not that it’s challenging, but it’s hard as a new apprentice and remembering everything. It’s just the learning process,” she added.

In October, around 1,800 students from high schools in Kenosha, Racine and Walworth counties tried the trades at Built My Future SE WI at the Racine County fairgrounds, adding to the hotbed of youth engagement activity in southeast Wisconsin.

In July, Riley Construction opened its doors to students in seventh, eighth and ninth grades to teach them about bricklaying, carpentry and cement masonry. The event was organized with the help of the Kenosha Unified School District.