L. Gunnar Ronquist, center, with his mom, Cindy, and IBEW 1245 President Art Freitas
Local 1245 applauds L. Gunnar Ronquist, the recipient of this year’s Roger Stalcup Community College Scholarship. Ronquist formally accepted his scholarship during the quarterly Advisory Council meeting in Reno.
Both of Ronquist’s parents are Local 1245 members employed at PG&E. His mother, Cindy, began working at Shasta Hydro in 2010, and his father, Kurt, recently got a job in the Gas Department in August of last year. In his scholarship essay, Ronquist talks about the value of the union for his parents, and he also notes how much his own quality of life has improved ever since his parents secured their union jobs.
“Now that they both have decent jobs and are doing fairly well, on top of having the labor union behind their back, the stressful nights of complaining [about finances and work] have been eliminated, and the environment at home have become significantly less stressful and more enjoyable,” he wrote in his essay. “From the benefits of the labor union, my life has changed from nights of stress, to days and nights of peace and happiness.”
Thanks to the wages and security that two union jobs can provide, Ronquist will have the opportunity to go on his first-ever family vacation before he leaves for college this fall.
Ronquist will be attending Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, where he plans to major in Mechanical Engineering. He hopes to transfer to Cal Poly in the near future to complete his degree.