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Of the 22 students studying cabinetmaking in Sheila Bell's class, two were women.A recent graduate of Rosemount Technology Centre's cabinetmaking program, Bell had completed a bachelor of arts in political science at Concordia University.

Unsure of what she wanted to do with her life, she moved to Ottawa after university, where she worked as an assistant to a financial adviser. But the work didn't satisfy her.

Bell had fond memories of going antiquing with her mother and her aunt, buying and refurbishing old furniture.

"I started thinking that it might be interesting to build furniture, too," she said.

So after taking a trip through Europe, she returned home and registered for the
14-month program in cabinetmaking. It led to a job building furniture for private jets at C & D Aerospace.

Meanwhile, Bell saved money that would enable her to buy tools for her own
cabinetmaking business.

"I had started building pieces on the side in my mother's garage," she said. "It was a small space. So my boyfriend, whom I met at school, and I have found a house with a barn in Rigaud and will move our business there."

"People are often taken aback when I tell them I'm a cabinetmaker," she said. "But I had no sense of being different from the guys at school. Once you master the techniques and understand the safety regulations, it doesn't matter whether you're a man or a woman."

By: STEPHANIE WHITTAKER
Photo by JOHN MAHONEY

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