Don't Ever Tell Me You Can't

Celia Ruiz Tomlinson

ISBN 10: 1589391373 / ISBN 13: 9781589391376

Published by Virtualbookworm.com Publishing, College Station, TX, 2002

About this Item

Author inscribed on the first free end paper. Gilt lettering on blue covers in a yellow pictorial dust jacket. 8vo, 196pp. The first six pages of the book are uncut.

Seller Inventory # 003993

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Don't Ever Tell Me You Can't
• Publisher: Virtualbookworm.com Publishing, College Station, TX
• Publication Date: 2002
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1589391373
• ISBN 13: 9781589391376
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: As New
• Dust Jacket Condition: As New
• Signed: Inscribed by Author(s)

About this title

Synopsis

Don't Ever Tell Me You Can't! is an inspiring true story of grit and resilience of an immigrant Asian woman who battles absolute poverty, language barriers, racial and gender discrimination and succeeds in a male-dominated field.

During the VietNam war, Celia Ruiz, already an established civil engineer in the Philippines, responds to the United States’ announcement of engineer shortage. She comes alone, confident that $300 and her civil engineer’s diploma are enough to find a new life in the land of opportunity, or so she thinks. When she sets out to look for work, she is told she can never find a job as a civil engineer. She braces herself for a hard fight that she is determined to win.

Celia traces her strength to her upbringing and experience in the late 50s when females were openly harassed in engineering school. For two decades, Celia formulates strategies and stays the course. Finally, before age becomes yet another hurdle, Celia finds the way to clear the path to the American Dream – for her, owning an engineering company! The book closes with pointers on how to pursue a dream to fruition.

About the Author

Celia Tomlinson, PE, is the President & CEO of Rhombus P. A., Inc., a rare professional engineering company founded, owned and operated by a minority female engineer. Since its founding in 1983, Rhombus has completed projects in AZ, AK, NM, NY, TX, WA, and WY. Ms. Tomlinson was named 1992 Minority Entrepreneur of the Year by the National Park Service.

The recipient of New Mexico’s Outstanding Woman and Trailblazer Awards, Ms. Tomlinson speaks four languages including American Sign Language. Her travels have taken her to Brunei to sell American real estate to the Sultan; to Guatemala to pursue a World Bank project; to the Jamaican jungles to meet the Maroon commander; and to the Philippines on a Friendship Force mission. She co-founded a non-profit organization, New Mexico Affordable Housing, Inc. She mentors students and upstart businesswomen. The author of "The Woman’s Guide to a Successful Career in Construction" (PPI Publications, royalty contract), she is also the author of CELIA (Computerized Evaluation of Lived-In Areas), an inspection program that has been used by housing authorities. Magazines including Civil Engineering, Woman Engineer, Engineering Times, Minority Engineer, People on Parade, and People in Action have published her articles.

Ms. Tomlinson has merged her diverse experiences into entertaining, compelling speeches. Her self-deprecating humor and down-to-earth delivery helped her win second place in the 1998 Toastmasters International District Humorous Speech Contest.