"Before I was an IBEW member, in 2014, I was cleaning houses with a friend. I had escaped Cuba as a political refugee, and I was really eager to do something other than cleaning houses. I wanted to give my kids a better future.

There's not anything wrong with cleaning houses, but I just didn't want to do that all my life. In Cuba, I had completed three years of medical school, but coming to Newfoundland was like being born again.

I wanted to go back to school, but I couldn't afford to go to a traditional school for four or five years. My friend told me about an initiative on the island awarding 10 women $10,000 scholarships to introduce more of us to the trades, especially as electricians. So I needed to go to this place to start applying, and it was an IBEW hall.

At that point, I really didn't know what it was. When I went to the union, they told me I had to go to this college. I took an exam, and I got approved and accepted to the course. I remember being in the classroom with maybe 20 people and the instructor giving orientation and teaching the course. I had to learn the names of the tools, the vocabulary involved in the trade, electrical terms. And I had to learn the theory — I needed to learn it all.

It was a really challenging nine months because I had my two kids, who had joined me from Cuba by then. I was trying to be a good mom, but I was single and I had to work because I didn't have funds other than the $10,000, which covered part of the education. So I drove taxis at night until 3 or 4 in the morning, was in school by 8:30 or 9, got home at 3, cooked some meals, got a couple of hours of sleep, went to drive taxis again — it was like that for nine months. It was pretty crazy, I have to say, but I did graduate with honors.

As I got into my courses, I fell in love with the work. I love to learn new things and to feel useful, and it's an interesting trade. So when I finished the course, the IBEW helped me to find my placement, and I don't know if I would have found it without their support. If it was not for the union, I probably would have never succeeded in the trade.

My first job was upgrading the runway at the airport with the company Black and McDonald. When I first started, the guy who managed the project was like, 'Can you move that pile of pipes to this beam?' And it was way taller than me — well, it wasn't that high, but I'm only 5'2" and it was way taller than me. And I said, 'Sure!' I started working without stopping, and he was like 'OK!'

Before I finished my shift, I said: 'It was really nice to work with you guys. Thank you so much for the opportunity. It was great.' And he said: "No, wait — you have a job. We want to keep you.' I said it was the best news I'd ever heard. I did my part, worked really hard and proved that I could do the work well.

After that project was completed, I was looking for work again. I'm pretty persistent, so I went to the hall every day after that. And they never left me hanging. They really cared about my life, my kids, my family.

I eventually got work with JSM Electrical. I got all my apprenticeship hours on the job and became a journeyperson in 2021. It's a good feeling having someone at your back. The IBEW gives you a new family and stability — it makes a huge difference to be part of a community. Also, all the benefits that I didn't have before — I now have a pension and health benefits, and I don't have to pay for my medication. I had been in survival mode for so long, and having the union behind me has made a world of difference."