"I started out as a DJ and did that for quite a few years — radio and clubs. I also worked in agriculture logistics, driving produce trucks. One summer, I toured with one of my best friends, Jamil Rashad, an artist from Raleigh; we were opening for another artist, Lyrics Born, on the East Coast wing of his tour. Driving back home, Jamil was talking about going to Los Angeles, and he said I should consider going with him.

At the time, I had a young son at home, and I was waiting to see if I was going to be accepted into the IBEW apprenticeship. It was a crossroads moment, and I really wasn't sure what I was going to do.

I really wanted to be in a union, and I was thinking of trying to get with the Teamsters because my grandfather was a Teamster in Miami, but I wasn't seeing a clear path to anything in particular.

I went to an informational session at the local public library led by Rebecca Axford, who at that time was the training director of the JATC. She went through all the details of what the apprenticeship offered and laid out all of the information with an impressive level of clarity.

That clarity continued once I was accepted into the IBEW apprenticeship. I worked for a variety of contractors — the ESCO Group out of Iowa; Laibe out of Local 8 in Toledo; and Sir Raleigh Electric, the largest domicile contractor in our jurisdiction. Because of this work and the IBEW, my family is covered by the best insurance I've ever had.

I was a journeyman wireman working for Brooks Berry Haynie when I was tapped to become an organizer. My time in the field had given me lots of insights into the lives of my fellow industrial workers and allowed me to make connections with journeymen from all over the United States.

Now, as an organizer with Local 553, the best part of my job is being able to share with other people what the Brotherhood has meant to my life and what it's allowed me to do, and to extend that opportunity to others.

Being able to show people that there's a way forward and that working hard can get them a different result, and telling them not to give up — that's a big part of why I have this job. It's the project of my life to share that truth with other people, and that is what's most important to me. This work is the way to live my values while simultaneously taking care of my family, and the fact that that's possible is really incredible."