Published November 2025

April Souther grew up in Thornton, Colorado, but her path into the trades started in a place far from a jobsite. She spent nine years behind the bar, memorizing drink orders and managing late-night rushes. When the bar closed to move to a new location, she stepped in to help with the remodel. Tearing out grid ceilings and fluorescent fixtures lit up something new for her. As she tells it, she decided she wanted to understand “how electricity worked and all of the ins and outs,” so she went for it.

With no electricians in her circle, she searched the way most people do when they are staring down a major life shift. “I knew nobody who was an electrician so I just used google!” That search led her to the apprenticeship pathway through Emily Griffith and into the field as an Apprentice Electrician with Montgomery Electric through IECRM.

The transition was not smooth or simple. She had never used the tools of the trade before and had zero technical background. “The biggest challenge was the learning curve,” she says. “Going from never using any tools and having no knowledge to being in the field was a big leap.” But that leap paid off. She talks about her progress with pride, noting she is “proud of how far I’ve made it in my apprenticeship and all of the knowledge I’ve gained.”

If all continues on track, she expects to earn her journeyman license around May 2026. After that she wants to keep going, keep building, keep learning. “I would like to continue my education and possibly become a Project Manager some day!”

She did not receive outside scholarships or formal financial assistance, but her company helps cover the education side of the apprenticeship program, which has made the path more manageable. And she has strong words for anyone considering supporting future apprentices: “Do it! These apprenticeships help the future workforce! And thank you for the support!”

She also wants others to know that stepping into a male-dominated field did not hold her back. “I thought that being a woman in a male dominated field would be hard, and it has been at times, but it is very rewarding and I’ve never felt out of place!”

April’s story is not about finding a perfect moment. It is about backing curiosity with action and learning an entirely new language of work from the ground up. She went looking for a career shift and found a future charged with possibility.