A FEMALE WARRIOR: Plumbing her way out of POVERTY

There have been many examples of women in our society who have blazed in a male-dominated field. It takes a special type of individual to break through that glass ceiling. Judaline Cassidy is an example of such an individual. She has broken that ceiling and established her legacy as a trailblazing female in the field of plumbing. But if you ask Judaline Cassidy, this line of work was definitely not Plan A. Her eventual destination did not line up with her initial childhood dream. Judaline aspired to become a lawyer. She wanted to become a lawyer so that she can have an opportunity to fight injustice around the world. Judaline Cassidy was born and raised in Trinidad & Tobago. Early on in her life, she immediately learned that her life was not meant to be lived in isolation. It was clear that Judaline had the heart of a servant at a young age. She fed those that were poor and visited those that were sick.

She would even sing songs for those that are bedridden. No matter what career path Judaline went in her life, it was clear that she would succeed due to the inspiring and encouraging words of her great-grandmother who was her greatest inspiration. Her great-grandmother always encouraged Judaline to be the best that she can and to trust herself. Those words would become a guiding light to Judaline for the rest of her life. She became determined to live up to her great-grandmother’s wildest dreams. This became her driving force towards doing whatever she could to get out of poverty, even if it meant going the unconventional route. Judaline did not have the means to attend a university as she wanted to. Thus, she applied for trade school. Judaline knew that the odds of her succeeding or being chosen would decrease if she tried out for female-dominated trades. Thus, it made more sense for her to try to stand out in a trade that was dominated by men.

It did not take too long for Judaline to get the respect that she deserved from her male counterparts. They respected her tenacity and fierceness. They respected the fact that she showed up every day and gave it 100%. However, Judaline has dealt with times in which she was not given as much opportunity as her male coworkers. Judaline believes that there are quite a few pitfalls that construction workers that when it comes to hiring women in the industry. She feels that employers make false assumptions based on a woman’s outward appearance. A big problem also lies in the fact that women end up leaving the industry because they are given menial tasks instead of tasks that display knowledge of the trade. Unsurprisingly, sexual harassment is a major issue in the industry. Judaline dealt with sexual harassment earlier on in her career, but not so much lately. Even though Judaline is in a male-dominated field, there is no doubt that she has a passion for empowering and motivating women to be the best that they can be. It is her belief that women of color across the globe are magnificent and marvelous. Judaline had some trials that she had to overcome. Her mother gave her up when she was younger. She has a yearning to build a relationship with her mother, but it was never reciprocated. This messed with her psyche quite a bit.

However, she was able to work through all of those issues in order to get to a point where she loved herself. After all, Judaline felt that the universe had put her on this earth so that she can be a light to others. Therefore, finding self- love was an urgent matter for Judaline. Just like how Judaline wants barriers to be removed from the minds of construction employers that are hesitant to hire women, she wants to ensure that mental barriers are removed from the minds of women that are looking to break into nontraditional trade positions. She feels that women should not be intimidated by the assumed physical advantages that men may have. In her mind, the success and failure of a job is dependent on one’s brain and not their physical brawn. Just like with most endeavors, most trades can be learned through constant repetition. Judaline fully believes that women have the intelligence to break into any male-dominated trade positions and succeed.