Local roofer helps build the Obama Presidential Center

Toryn Parks, a union roofer, spent months atop of the Obama Presidential Center Forum and Museum buildings and parking garage, pouring hot tar and meticulously laying weatherproofing layers roll by roll. Recently, she walked the campus with her family to show them the work firsthand.

"I'm a part of history now," Parks said with a smile. "As long as that building stands, we did what we were supposed to do. As long as it stands, we'll stand with it."

Parks grew up near 83rd Street and Stony Island Avenue, close to the Center’s 19.3-acre campus. She was a standout basketball player, even traveling to Florida with her team for the 48th Annual Small Fry International Tournament. A broken ankle ended her basketball career her senior year of high school. With no scholarship offers, she told her mother she wanted a different path.

"I want to build. I want to do something," Parks recalled.

Her mother connected her with Chicago Women in Trades , a free, 12-week program. From there, Parks became a roofer with A1 Roofing and eventually landed on the Obama Presidential Center project, her second job in the trade. She is still a member of the Local 11 Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers.

Parks said it’s surreal to be recognized for her achievements, such as having her picture from the Small Fry International Tournament on the wall of a Chicago Park District facility in Avalon Park, or being honored with her name listed among those who helped build the Obama Presidential Center, on the Worker Appreciation Wall . 

 “I'm still making an impact right in my neighborhood," she said.

The center took five years to complete, and thousands of workers helped create the 19.3-acre campus. 

"On the first day of me being there, I was like, 'Wow, this is amazing!' I couldn't believe I was there on one of the biggest projects in the city," she said.

When the Center opened and her name appeared on the worker wall, Parks said she found out by scrolling social media.

"I called my mom, screaming on the phone," Parks remembered. "My name is on the wall! It's on the wall!"

She says her family used to drive past Jackson Park on the way to family outings at the Adler Planetarium and Lake Michigan, and now her name is cemented in the legacy of the Obama Presidential Center.

"It just felt like I was coming home," she said.

Parks has become an inspiration to her friends, former classmates, and now her little sister, Angelina. Watching her older sister find a career in the trades pushed Angelina, 22, to enroll in the same 12-week program. She is now training to become an electrician.

"Me going to trade school opened a lot of doors," Parks expressed. 

Parks now works in engineering for the Illinois Tollway but says roofing gave her confidence she carries forward. Her advice to young women considering the trades is this: "Just stick with it," Parks said. "Keep your head down. Don't go in with a loud mouth, but with open ears... As long as you know who you are, you can achieve whatever you want to achieve."