Women Build at Brown breaks down barriers in the Brown Design Workshop

Despite its name, the student club Women Build at Brown does much more than just build.

During their junior year, Hana Butler Gutierrez ’24 and Hi’ilei Dikilato ’24, mechanical engineering concentrators and co-founders of Women Build at Brown, pondered their experiences in the Brown Design Workshop. Both recalled their wavering confidence as women studying in a male-dominated field.

“If it weren’t for our classes, we would have never used the BDW or would (not) have felt comfortable even going in,” Dikilato said.

“I was not comfortable at all in the BDW for the first two years,” Gutierrez added. “I felt like I didn’t know how to use anything. I felt like even though I used something once, I never felt confident going in again. That cuts off your availability to a space that can really lead to creativity.”

This thought sparked the formation of Women Build at Brown. “What if there was a club that got girls (to the BDW) and we all got to make things together and get trained together?” Gutierrez proposed. “Make it a more inclusive, lighthearted space where you can go in together and say, ‘I’m not the only person who feels this way in here.’”

After a long and arduous approval process, Women Build at Brown hit the ground running late in fall 2023. 

“We were ready to go,” Dikilato recalled. “We started putting up posters in the women’s bathroom stalls.”

“The people that showed up to the very first meeting were like, ‘I saw it in the bathroom!’” Guiterrez said.

Guiterrez and Dikilato’s recruitment plan was as successful as it was humorous. Since October 2023, the club has done 3D-printing workshops, holiday ornament-making with laser cutters and wardrobe upcycling — all of which have largely been funded by bake sales while making use of the BDW’s free machinery. 

The co-founders shared how inspiring it has been to see their members grow more confident through these workshops.

“My favorite part has been seeing myself in a lot of the girls that come in,” Gutierrez said. She relates to their feelings of uncertainty, saying a lot of women are “a little too good” at admitting when they don’t understand something. Gutierrez loves “being able to say, ‘No, no, no. You do know how to do this. You will know how to do this.’”

Alison Villa ’27, who previously only had experience with small crafts at home, explained that this community is what keeps her coming back to the BDW. “Being there with (Women Build at Brown) made the BDW a little bit less intimidating,” Villa shared. “I don’t know if I could come back by myself yet, but coming back with them made me go, ‘Oh, this is fun. I don’t want to leave.’”

Most of all, Gutierrez, Dikilato and Villa stressed the importance of fun for the club. 

“We just hang out. Sometimes our meetings turn into ‘Just Dance’ parties,” Dikilato said. “That’s what this is about: building community and making cool stuff.”

“Just come and hang out — It’s a really good time. Genuinely, it’s the kind of club where you will make friends,” Gutierrez said. “Good people, good vibes.”

Although they graduate this year, Gutierrez and Dikilato have no plans of slowing down. They both are committed to broadening their reach to all non-male-identifying students — not just those with STEM experience — in any way that they can. Gutierrez said Women Build at Brown hopes to eventually collaborate with other clubs and organizations in the Providence community and even make its way to other campuses.

“We want the most obscure connections to happen just to show everyone that it’s okay to come! The space is welcoming. It’s here for all of us; anyone can use it,” Dikilato said. “If anyone can cook, anyone can build.”