When Yiceth Castro, civil engineer, arrived at the plant, there were still cattle around the area. Now, she is the Management Supervisor in an important plant in Colombia.
When Yiceth Castro first arrived at the plant of Palmar de Varela in October 2017, it was still a project in blueprints and the first soil studies were just beginning to be discerned. It was still pastureland, full of cows and buffaloes.
The mission of this 28-year-old young woman was to perform technical supervision during the construction stage of the plant. She felt that this was her lifetime opportunity. The adrenaline took over her senses when she first opened the blueprint of the great project she had under her charge and the challenge she was facing.
For Yiceth, her professional colleagues must have a vocation and a desire to serve others. “In this career, you need to have that spirit to help people, to want to grow and improve the works that are involved, because these projects bring development to the regions”, she said proudly.
She always has dreamed about doing a project from scratch that would allow her to expand her knowledge in civil works, and to honor her and her father's career. When she was a child, she used to accompany him in his works from town to town, working on infrastructure improvements of public squares, churches, schools, and houses in the surrounding cities.
With long walks around the plant and by opening gates, measuring the land, and accompanying the work team, she witnessed each stage of the project: the topographic survey, perimeter enclosure, earthworks, construction of access roads, excavations to lay the foundations of the building, and construction of the plant from beginning to end.
“Having a project this huge in my hands, with this degree of complexity, meant everything to me. My major support was my husband and my family. I wanted to know and learn everything”, added Yiceth Castro, Management Supervisor in Palmar de Varela.
Yiceth has learned a lot from the Palmar de Varela Plant. This outgoing and talkative young woman said that these three years have been like the last few semesters she “missed in college.” She then revealed what she enjoyed the most when she started the project: “At Ternium, you are measured by your desire and abilities, anyone can grow if they want to. It doesn't matter how many degrees you have or whether you are a man or a woman, it depends on you”, said Castro.
Today she serves as Management Supervisor, a responsibility that has led her to take charge of the administrative management of several minor maintenance contracts for roofs, air conditioners, utility and sewage networks, green areas, and some civil works, to ensure that the plant is impeccable and that the work is carried out in an optimal and safe manner.
“This project has marked a before and after both in my personal and professional life. I'm a better person in both aspects. I can say that I made it and I hope to be here for a long time to come”, Castro concluded.