{"id":1261,"date":"2023-08-22T13:36:26","date_gmt":"2023-08-22T13:36:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/smart-women\/?post_type=sister-story&p=1261"},"modified":"2023-08-25T18:56:58","modified_gmt":"2023-08-25T18:56:58","slug":"sister-story-claudia-rodriguez","status":"publish","type":"sister-story","link":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/smart-women\/sister-story\/sister-story-claudia-rodriguez\/","title":{"rendered":"Sister Story: Claudia Rodriguez"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
SM Local 105 (Los Angeles, California) member Claudia Rodriguez first heard about the sheet metal trade from a family friend. Four years later, she says, \u201cI look forward to coming to work every single day.\u201d Read her sister story below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What unique strengths do you bring to your trade?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Teamwork! I compete with myself daily to do my job better. I look forward to coming to work every single day, and that is contagious \u2013 even my coworkers get to feel that vibe and look forward to teaching me. It makes our day smoother; plus, I pull my weight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you love to do when you are not at work?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I love to spoil my family and friends with my homemade cooking. If you\u2019re around me, I always want to feed you \u2013 it\u2019s my way of loving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Goals in the future \u2014 any ambitions or changes to your career, growth or education?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m soaking in my trade as much as possible. If there\u2019s any class available, I\u2019m taking it. If there\u2019s any opportunity for growth, I\u2019m taking it. My life revolves around my trade. Two of my daughters followed my footsteps and joined the trade \u2013 that speaks for itself.<\/p>\n\n\n What surprised you about your trade?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The willingness that my mentors have to teach; everything gets broken down step by step.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you find frustrating about your job\/trade?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I want to move up faster now, but everything\u2019s a process. There are some projects that take trial and error to perfect, and I want to do it here and now.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Best advice you got as an apprentice?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Don\u2019t be afraid to mess up, because that\u2019s when you start messing up. With sheet metal, most of the time we can fix it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What do you think about Tradeswomen Build Nations<\/a>?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n I love it! I love being able to network with other women and\/or people that are minorities, it\u2019s like a little safe haven.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n