LaTrisia Bright’s son Alan would describe his mother as the hardest working woman he knows. And while many of us would make a similar claim, LaTrisia makes a strong argument for a piece of that title. She has been with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) 1340 for almost 15 years now, 10 of which she has been a certified Journeyman Wireman. She will be the first to tell you “don’t be afraid of hard work” because she finds what she does incredibly rewarding.
After serving in the United States Air Force, first as a member of Security Forces and then working in the intelligence community, LaTrisia left the service without a clear path for what she wanted to do next. While working in the intelligence field she was assigned to work in an office environment, and she felt that did not suit her. She spent six months as a homemaker once she left the service, but eventually her sister brought her in to talk to her union, the local Pipefitters. That did not interest LaTrisia either. Fortunately, the Pipefitters union was in the same building as the IBEW and LaTrisia found her way to their door. She was immediately interested in the jobs that she found out about with the IBEW and she decided to work as a Wireman. Five years later, through classes and on the job training, she earned her Journeyman card and has not looked back. You can find her today working as a Foreman on many job sites with her IBEW peers.
When you talk to LaTrisia about her work you can hear the excitement in her voice. She is passionate about what she does, and she says that she is excited to see more women working in her trade. When she first began, she only recalls meeting seven or eight women across all the people that she was working with. Today those numbers are growing, and its not unusual to see several women taking classes to work as electricians. The New York Times reported that nationally women make up 2.4 percent of electricians, and according to the Department of Labor and Statistics, Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Newport News and the surrounding area have approximately 4700 electricians employed as of May 2019.
When asked what it is that really endears her to her work, LaTrisia says it’s that every day on the job is different. You have to take what you have learned and apply it to solve a new challenge, LaTrisia says “it’s like a puzzle.” Planning is vital in her job, as an example a person has to know just how to install the conduit or raceway (pipes that cable will be run through for us laymen) because if you do make a mistake you can fix it, but it will take time. In an office environment she said she felt like a drone doing a 9 to 5 schedule, but out on a job site as a Wireman she feels like she has found her calling.
LaTrisia is also aware that she is working in a male dominated career field. She says the best advice she can give to a new woman entering the trade is to “be firm, vocal and respectful” if someone makes you uncomfortable. It is important to learn your job and do well. Everyone that is new has the chance to prove themselves regardless of their gender. She says that there has always been someone there to help her grow along the way.
For LaTrisia Bright the work that she does is steady and rewarding, and after earning her Journeyman card there is an opportunity to travel. “You’re just not going to find that with a 9 to 5.”
LaTrisia Bright Works Like A Girl. You can too. For more info, click here.