Milwaukee Tools Apprentice of The Month - Crystal Martinez
An apprentice’s ability to learn and absorb their environment, especially when it is initially a foreign one, is one of the cornerstones of a fresh electrical worker. Crystal Martinez, a second-year apprentice who just finished school for her year, embodies all of these qualities and is the JATC’s pick for Apprentice of the Month.
Coming from a background as a lab research assistant working with algal biofuels, Crystal cut her teeth in the Conservation Corps. After seeing so many electrical positions posted for a new facility near her, she decided to look into how she could become an electrician.
“No one in my family is in a Union, so I had to do all the research online,” says Crystal when she applied to her original Local 40 JATC in Hollywood, Calif. “It was the best decision I’ve ever made in my life. I always try to emphasize joining a Union and getting involved.”
As a second, soon to be third, year apprentice, Crystal knows how important it is to use what is learned in the classroom on the jobsite as much as possible.
“You get to use so much theory in the field if you pay attention to how it applies,” says Crystal. “There’s a lot in second year I get to see on the jobsite, especially code provisions and certain work practices. It’s amazing how it’s all coming together the longer I’m in the field.”
“Crystal has been absolutely nailing it in the classroom,” says Zac Goodman, second year instructor. “She is always taking incredibly diligent notes and asking excellent questions. She has a mind perfect for this field and her personality is one her coworkers are always going to get along with.”
According to her peers, Crystal is a shining example of what an apprentice should be like and how others can take her example as a benchmark for success.
“She picks everything up so quickly,” says Will Coultas, Crystal’s foreman and a Bullert hand for more than three years. “She is always asking the right questions and is just such a go-getter. I’m so glad to have her on this job and I really hope to have her on the next one, too.”
“Don’t hold back when it comes to asking questions,” says Crystal when asked if she has advice for other apprentices starting out. “There’s always something to ask about a specific installation or topic. If you ask the right questions on a job site, you will grow. You’re going to make mistakes; just work hard to not make those mistakes again.”
For her hard work, Crystal will receive a PACKOUT bag and hand tool from Milwaukee Tools and congratulations from all the staff at the Sacramento JATC.