Ayeta Scholarship winners Mike Kerbaugh (in green) and Toby (in blue).
We are pleased to congratulate Toby Payan and Mike Kerbaugh, the latest winners of IBEW 1245’s Jairus Ayeta Line School Scholarship. They will be attending the Northwest JATC Volta Line School this fall, with all expenses paid by IBEW 1245.
Payan, who is from Manteca, is passionate about the opportunity to get into the line trade.
“I feel very thankful for the opportunity to have this huge impact on my life. It’s a life- changing experience to be able to have a good career and support my family,” he said. “I know that the help and support is there for me to get through [line school] and move on to something I have wanted my whole life.”
In his scholarship essay, Payan noted that the driving factors that launched the Labor Movement centuries ago still rings true today:
“Fundamentally, the labor movement wanted what was fair to the workforce which includes improvements in pay, benefits, working conditions, paid time off, and some type of legal standing to the government or private businesses. Without these basic and fair rights, the working class would never be able to support their families or themselves for that matter. Their bodies and minds would crumble from fatigue or the stress on health that too much time working, or too little pay, can put on someone.”
Kerbaugh, who hails from Nevada, is also enthusiastic about the prospect of becoming a lineman.
“I’m grateful for the opportunity and excited to see where it will take me,” he said. “I hope to leave the line school with the basic knowledge and experience to get an apprenticeship.”
Kerbaugh chose to write his essay on the importance and evolution of the electric utility industry.
“The Electric Utility industry in today’s world is one of the most overlooked but one of the most important industries in the world. This industry is the sole reason that anyone has power, without this industry small homes to massive warehouses would be in the dark and the United States wouldn’t be where it is today. Electricity is taken for granted on a daily basis, and I believe that’s actually a compliment for the Electric Utility industry, since it means that they are doing their jobs and providing the public with a quality product and doing it in a safe manner.”
Applications for the next round of Ayeta scholarships will be accepted from March 1 to March 31. To learn more and apply, visit https://ibew1245.com/scholarships/#ayeta.