Algonquin College recognizing tradeswoman for her outstanding work
Posted Sep 28, 2022 12:30:00 AM.
Lorrie Potvin was the first woman accepted into the auto repair apprenticeship at Algonquin College in the early eighties.
The college is now recognizing her with an Apprenticeship award, part of the Algonquin College Alumni of Distinction Award.
However, Potvin told The Sam Laprade Show on Sept. 27 that at the time, it didn't feel like she was breaking any gender barriers because when she stepped onto the shop floor, it felt like she was coming home.
She later spent five years as the only woman working in a garage where there wasn't even a bathroom in the shop she could use.
However, her passion for the craft kept her working, and she encourages other women thinking about entering a trade to “just go for it…pick up some tools, take a course, and you won't ever regret it.”
The College Alumni Distinction Award ceremony is on Sept. 29 at Algonquin's Ottawa campus.
Listen to the full interview with Lorrie Potvin below:
