Welfare Mom Climbs Past Rejection (gets position in oldest, most coveted construction trades)

http://www.blackvoicenews.com/content/view/42337/4/

Wednesday, 25 June 2008
SAN BERNARDINO



By Chris Levister

Faeesha Dean knows something about rejection and perseverance. She readily identifies with the historic battle waged between senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination.

"Both fought tough battles, both were intensely focused, both were labeled underdogs, neither was willing to quit, even when in senator Clinton's case, people said it was time to surrender," explains Dean.


San Bernardino mom Faeesha Dean says the road to earning a coveted J.A.T.C. Power Lineman Apprenticeship carries an important lesson: Don't give up!


Rollerblading in Anne Shirrells Park, Dean, 32 is celebrating her own victory over rejection. Last month the single mother raising her eight year old daughter on welfare broke through one of the construction trade's toughest glass ceilings: apprentice power lineman. She joins the ranks of a handful of elite women in one of the nation's oldest, most coveted construction trades.

"Power linemen are a special breed. You've got to be thick skinned, tough as nails, able to withstand delirious heights, rain, hail, wind, extreme heat and extreme cold." Not to mention says Dean, "the ever present male cat calls, crude jokes, and the occasional ‘crew' trucks adorned with lets say, photos you wouldn't want your 8-year-old to see."

"It comes with the territory. After a while you learn how to deal with just about anything the job throws at you. You spring up under every disadvantage," says the San Bernardino resident.

A nationwide shortage of linemen has been building for years. As legions of aging workers edge closer to retirement, America's appetite for energy is rising, boosting demands for power line installation.

The National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) and the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) partnership and its local training arm J.A.T.C. located in Riverside at IBEW Local 47, provide highly skilled workers for the electrical construction industry.

FULL story at link.

Sounds like a tough lady. Instead of whining about the work environment, sounds like she's taking it on full throttle by succeeding.

Why does it have to be so difficult for a mom to get her family out of poverty? Mothers get a lot of lipservice, but not a lot of resources.