Job Shadowing with Georgia Power

Two Apalachee High School students sparked a deeper interest in engineering after participating in the “Careers in Energy Week” Job Shadow Day program through Georgia Power. This opportunity focused on matching female students with female engineers for them to observe a “day in the life” firsthand.

Georgia Power Athens Distribution Engineer Representative Emma Lucciola says, "Encouraging female engineers is vital to bring diverse perspectives and challenge gender biases in the field, in a primarily male dominated industry. It fosters innovation, economic growth, and social progress by tapping into a broader talent pool. Female engineers serve as role models, address societal needs, and contribute to more equitable and effective problem-solving in engineering. At the end of the day, it's about making engineering more diverse and better for everyone."

Senior Myranda Carew and Junior Nicole Centeno Romero spent the day gaining a better understanding of the engineering field, skills, and interests. The experience is aimed at helping students make more informed decisions about their career paths.

Nicole says, “I enjoyed going out to the job sites to see what the linemen do. It was fun and informative to see the concepts our engineers explained playing out before our eyes. I think I'm more interested in engineering after this experience. Before, I liked engineering but was unsure what a job in that field might entail. I wasn't keen on a job where I'd be in an office all day with only calculations and drawings as company, but I also didn't want to be outside doing physical labor all day either. The role of the women we shadowed is a nice in-between where they create designs in-office but go out to work with the job sites as well.”

AHS Work-Based Learning Coordinator Miranda Deaton and Engineering Teacher Teresa Johnson helped connect the students to this opportunity.

Thank you to our Barrow County School System Partner in Education Pal Georgia Power and their Education and Workforce Development team for providing this experience for aspiring engineers.