Chrissy Gonzales never planned to have kids, didn\u2019t have a specific career path and hadn\u2019t ever considered a job in solar energy.<\/p>\n
Two and a half years ago, daughter Lilly arrived and changed everything. \u201cI couldn\u2019t just jump from job to job anymore, I needed to figure out what I was going to do long term,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
It was during a college class that Ms. Gonzales heard her fellow students talking about an all women crew volunteering with GRID Alternatives San Diego. \u201cAll I heard was \u2018job\u2019, \u2018crew\u2019 and \u2018tools\u2019, and I thought, I could do that!\u201d<\/p>\n
She signed up and started helping GRID Alternatives help low income families make the transition to solar power.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve never been afraid of physical work, and I\u2019m used to tools. I have been under the hood of my Dad\u2019s car since I was a little kid,\u201d she adds. \u201cEach Christmas and Birthday I would get a new tool, and now I do it for Lilly too,\u201d says Ms. Gonzales.<\/p>\n
\u201cAny woman can get out there with GRID ,\u201d she says. \u201cI think we\u2019re great on the worksite and have a good eye for safety, in this industry that\u2019s super important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms. Gonzales turned the opportunities that GRID Alternatives offered into a job. Following a two week internship at Everyday Energy, a local solar installer, she\u2019s now found full time employment with Tekamuk Energy, a tribally owned solar installation company. \u201cI\u2019m also enrolled in a course at Mira Costa College to help me get my NABCEP certification, as well as weekend classes,\u201d says Ms. Gonzales. \u201cI\u2019ve worked incredibly hard to get where I am today but GRID has been a great mentor.\u201d<\/p>\n
She\u2019s excited for her and Lilly\u2019s future. \u201cShe\u2019s my new heartbeat, my drive, she\u2019s the reason I do the best that I can. I have her handprints on my hard hat! just to remind me what I\u2019m doing this for,\u201d says Ms. Gonzales. \u201cIf you are willing to learn and ask questions, GRID Alternatives can open doors for you.\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It was during a college class that Ms. Gonzales heard her fellow students talking about an all women crew volunteering with GRID Alternatives San Diego. \u201cAll I heard was \u2018job\u2019, \u2018crew\u2019 and \u2018tools\u2019, and I thought, I could do that!\u201d<\/p>","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":3271,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79],"tags":[],"audience":[],"content-type":[12],"focus-area":[20,36,73],"region":[],"series":[],"content-author":[],"class_list":["post-3270","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-workforce-education","content-type-news","focus-area-job-training","focus-area-women-in-solar","focus-area-workforce-development"],"acf":{"hero_media_type":"image","hero_media_image":null,"hero_media_url":"","hero_media_poster":null,"hero_video_play":"inline","related_stories":null,"pattern_override":null,"story_callouts":null,"media":null,"featured_blog_post":null,"featured_event":null,"pdf_download":null,"blockquote":null,"author":null,"notice":null,"social_embed":null,"contact_card":null,"meta_details":null,"faq":null,"table":null},"yoast_head":"\n