"It interested me a lot, because he would like, usually tell me things, and he would like, tell me that it was fun and very like interesting.. you get to interact and talk to a lot of people," Sarah said.
Now, in her second year of the pathway, she will have the chance to show off her skills.
She and four other young ladies from Madera High will be part of two all-girls teams taking part in the three-day Central California Builders Exchange Design Build Competition.
"I'm feeling amazing, honestly, like, I feel like great, like I feel excited knowing like, what's coming and hopefully, like, even if we don't win, it would just be, like, a fun memory to keep," Sarah said.
All of the young women are being mentored by industry partners from the North Coast States Carpenters Union.
They're taking part in four training days ahead of the competition.
"We're trying to get them, like, hands-on, learning the tools, so that the day of they're not just like, 'Oh, what I do?' Like, you know?" North Coast States Carpenters Union fourth-period apprentice Jennifer Alvarez said.
Alvarez is one of the industry partners and coaches.
She knows how to prepare them and what to say.
That's because just two years ago, she was in the same competition.
Since then, she's graduated high school and started working in the industry.
"Now, I want to show them that it's possible and then they have somebody their age that they can relate to a little bit more," Alvarez said.
The Madera High School construction teacher, Raymond Garza, says that through the training days, he's seen his female students grow.
"I saw two of my girls that are very, very shy and quiet, and now, a couple of practices into this, they're vocal, and they want to do things. And even in class, they're leading my class and be my foremen and it's very nice to see," Garza said.
He says he's confident the all-girls team will stand out and make a name for themselves.
"They're gonna prove, honestly, I feel like they're gonna prove that they can do it, and they are gonna do they're gonna they're gonna place top three," Garza said.
The young ladies have one more day of practice alongside these industry partners before the formal CCBE Design Build Competition kicks off next week at the Caruthers fairgrounds.
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