Five NV Energy members reach journeyman status
Five IBEW 1245 members were recognized for topping out at the NV Energy Reno Unit meeting. From left: Unit Chair and Executive Board member Ryan Morris; Journeyman Lineman Colin Adams; Journeyman Gas Customer Serviceman Paul Krebs; Journeyman Gas Pressure Operator Ubaldo Torres Cervantes; Journeyman Lineman and Jairus Ayeta Scholarship recipient Frank Stearns; Journeyman Substation Electrician Sean Karow; Unit Recorder and Treasurer Britney Morris; and IBEW 1245 Business Representative Adam Weber.
Reno, NV— When Frank Stearns received the Jairus Ayeta Line School Scholarship in 2021, he said it would help him reach his goal of becoming the first lineman in his family.
Five years later, he’s done just that.
Stearns topped out as a journeyman lineman at NV Energy in July, becoming the first Jairus Ayeta Scholarship recipient to reach journeyman status.
“The Jairus Ayeta Scholarship is what got my dream of becoming a journeyman lineman off the ground,” Stearns said.
When Stearns received the scholarship in 2021, he was working in construction in Nevada and looking for a way into the line trade. In his scholarship application, he wrote about wanting a career that would allow him to provide for his family, take pride in his work and contribute to an industry that millions of people rely on every day.
IBEW 1245 paid Stearns’ full tuition to attend VOLTA Line School, along with his housing and meals, and provided the climbing gear, boots and tools he needed for the ten-week program.
“With the financial burden gone, I quit my job and could give the school my full attention,” Stearns said. “The program at VOLTA was a great foundation for this career.”
While attending VOLTA, Stearns applied for an apprenticeship with NV Energy and signed the groundman books at IBEW 1245.
Things moved quickly after graduation.
“I graduated on a Thursday, drove back home to Reno on Friday, took a call, and was on a crew by Saturday,” he recalled.
Two months later, Stearns received the call he had been waiting for: he had been accepted into NV Energy’s apprenticeship program.
After years of training and work in the field, Stearns topped out in July 2026.
“It feels incredible to look back and see how all the hard work paid off,” he said. “The scholarship was an advantage in this competitive field, and I am grateful for it.”
Stearns was recently recognized at the NV Energy Reno Unit meeting alongside four other IBEW 1245 members who also topped out: Journeyman Lineman Colin Adams, Journeyman Gas Customer Serviceman Paul Krebs, Journeyman Gas Pressure Operator Ubaldo Torres Cervantes and Journeyman Substation Electrician Sean Karow.
Established in 2020, the Jairus Ayeta Line School Scholarship honors IBEW 1245 apprentice Jairus Ayeta, who was killed while restoring power during the Carr Fire in 2018. The scholarship helps aspiring lineworkers enter the trade by removing the financial barriers associated with line school.
Five years after receiving that opportunity, Stearns is now the scholarship program’s first recipient to top out as a journeyman lineman — and the first lineman in his family.
Applications Open October 1
Applications for the Jairus Ayeta Line School Scholarship will be accepted October 1–31, 2026. The next recipient could be you.
Learn more and apply at ibew1245.com/scholarships