WIC Week 2025 Spotlight: Natalia Ayala-Torres

We continue our Women in Construction Week spotlight by introducing Assistant Project Estimator Natalia Ayala-Torres.

Natalia joins W. M. Jordan’s Richmond, Virginia office after graduating from Virginia Tech’s Myers-Lawson School of Construction with a degree in Construction Engineering and Management. She spent last summer working as an intern with our estimating team in Richmond.

With much of her family hailing from Puerto Rico and seeing the impact construction industry professionals have had on the island’s recovery efforts after natural disasters, Natalia has always been drawn to engineering or some form of construction. She initially went to school thinking she would become an electrical engineer, with the idea of using her skills to make a direct impact on a community. Once she got to Virginia Tech, she realized that construction was more aligned with her interests and goals.

“At first, I thought electrical engineering was my path, then civil engineering caught my eye. Eventually, I learned about Construction Engineering and Management and that seemed like the perfect fit.”

Along with Natalia’s classes she found herself involved in many extracurricular groups and activities that helped expand her knowledge and develop skills to hit the ground running once she graduated.

“I was very involved with Alpha Omega Epsilon, a Women in STEM professional development sorority, as well as spending four years working with the Center for the Enhancement of Engineering Diversity (CEED),” said Natalia. “I also worked as a TA for a professional development class for freshmen for three years and served as a peer mentor for college of engineering students.”

Natalia spent each summer interning with different organizations, each giving her more construction experience from a different company’s point of view.

“I worked in preconstruction for three different firms over the summers, each giving me a different experience and helping grow my construction knowledge.  These were beneficial to me in that they gave me practical experience to build upon what I was learning at school.”

Since joining WMJ full-time, Natalia has continued to learn more about preconstruction and estimating.

“Everyone on the W. M. Jordan team has been very supportive,” said Natalia. “I feel like it has been a team effort when it comes to answering my questions and helping me become a better project estimator. Andy Marshall has been a great mentor, but everyone has answered questions and made sure I feel at home.”

When asked what she enjoys most about construction and why she has pursued it as a career, Natalia cites the people as one of the biggest things about her job she loves.

“I get to talk to a lot of our trade partners in my role, so I am always meeting new people with different backgrounds and experiences. Everyone has something they can teach me, so I try to take advantage of that. I also love working in preconstruction – estimating is like a puzzle, and we use some very cool software to help us put it together.”

We are incredibly excited to have Natalia start her professional career with our estimating team. We know she will continue to thrive as she embraces the Relentless Pursuit of Excellence!