"I was born and raised in Muscle Shoals, Ala., and before I became an IBEW member, I worked at a taillight and headlight plant there just out of high school. I later applied for a job at Comcast and started working there installing cable, starting out at 12 bucks an hour. This was when I started meeting IBEW members from Local 558 in Sheffield, Ala., because the local had an agreement with Comcast.

Several months into my Comcast job, I got a call from my uncle, who works out of Local 9, telling me that I should get my CDL A (commercial driver's license) and apply to the local. He said the money was incredible and it had changed his life.

With this advice and knowing that my friends in the IBEW enjoyed a great quality of life, I moved to Indiana and applied at Local 9 in Chicago.

Once I was with Local 9, I started out making almost double what I'd been making in Alabama. I was accepted into the apprenticeship and kept at it for four years while working, getting raises and receiving incredible retirement and insurance benefits all the while.

In the time that I've been an IBEW member, I met my wife and we had a daughter, got a house, bought two vehicles and more. I've been able to afford a comfortable life for my family, all thanks to working in the IBEW.

I'm extremely proud of and thankful for this union, and I want to help change people's lives in the same way that the Brotherhood has changed mine. I think our locals should continue to reach out to youth and the underprivileged in our communities to help them see what they can gain from getting involved.

Tell them the success stories that our brothers and sisters have created through being affiliated with the IBEW. Let them know that while college is great, it may not be for everyone, and that the IBEW offers an opportunity to get a real education, get paid while receiving it and turn out as a skilled tradesperson with no student loans whatsoever.

Local 9 changed my life. I was a small-town kid who thought I'd be working a dead-end job for pennies on the dollar, and I became a man with skill in an honest trade that allows me to take care of my family and enjoy my life. I hope to one day give back through representing IBEW members and organizing nonunion would-be members, both young and old, so they can change their lives, make money and have a real retirement!"