Solei Donahue, WECA Commercial Electrical Apprentice
This Women in Construction Week 2025, WECA is pleased to reintroduce Solei Donahue, a WECA Arizona Commercial Electrical Apprentice.
WECA previously spotlighted Solei’s accomplishments in June 2024, following her inspiring speech during the 2024 State Workforce Summit in Flagstaff, Arizona.
Solei, who is a Native American woman from the Gila River Indian Community in Sacaton, Arizona, joined the WECA Arizona Commercial Electrical Apprenticeship program through WECA and her employer’s (WECA Arizona Founding Member Contractor Corbins) partnership with Grand Canyon University’s pre-apprenticeship program.
“I joined Corbins through a fifteen-week internship program at Grand Canyon University,” Solei said during her speech. “I decided it would be a good experience on my resume, and it would be useful for the future. But I knew once the second semester had started, that this was something I was interested in doing for the rest of my life.”
Solei also said during her speech that the pre-apprenticeship program “gave me confidence to keep pushing myself to stand for all the women in the workforce” and has aided her in “becoming a mature adult who is succeeding at life, in general…this program has given me all the tools and will continue to help me on my journey to becoming a future successful journeywoman.”
Looking back to when she started her official apprenticeship with WECA and Corbins, Solei reflects “I’ve always had an interest in doing the same things guys are doing, and when I found out they want women in construction, I was eager to join.”
Solei says that her first semester at WECA went by quickly but was motivating.
“It was a lot to learn, but I never got discouraged, because I was able to learn with my peers and the instructors are very helpful and encouraging,” Solei said. “I was able to gain new knowledge, and it has helped motivate me to keep furthering my education in the trade so I can help others who started out like me. It has allowed me to work independently in the field with the confidence in what I am doing every day.”
Solei’s positive experience with WECA and the industry leads her to believe that more women should pursue careers in the electrical industry because they will feel “empowered” and states her belief that women “often possess knowledge that others may not.”
Solei credits the powerful women who have “instilled confidence in her” with her success and determination.
“I’d like to thank Shelly Seitz for helping me be confident in my journey, and to the people who are more encouraging and accepting of women starting out in construction,” Solei said. “I’d also like to shout out my biggest supporter and the woman who made me who I am today—my mom, Janice. Without my mom, I wouldn’t be as strong as I am, or as passionate about speaking about my journey, no matter how hard it might have been. I have deep appreciation for everyone I’ve met on this journey and am very excited to see who I’ll meet in the future!”
Thank you for being part of the WECA family, and the growing cohort of women in the electrical industry, Solei! We are inspired by your dedication to encouraging women to join the electrical industry and your support for women already in the electrical industry. It is an honor to have you representing WECA (and women in the industry) in Arizona!