Stories

As a mom of four, Keiarra was “making it work” but knew something had to change. She couldn’t build the experience nor confidence for a career, especially as someone who was formerly incarcerated. She couldn’t attain the financial independence or stability that her and her family needed. “I didn’t have any direction and I was getting older. Nothing about my life was changing. Like, at all. I wasn’t encouraged,” Keiarra reflects.

Sometime in early 2024, Keiarra was tapping through Instagram stories. She stopped when she saw a familiar streak of fluorescent, neon green. Squinting at her phone, she identified the high-visibility construction gear she grew up around. Keiarra comes from generations of cement masons. She’d grown up around the trades but never thought they were for her.

Who posted this? Keiarra’s eyes trailed up to the username. It was her friend who she had met while incarcerated. They followed each other on Instagram after they were both released in 2023.

She kept tapping through her friend’s stories to learn that she had enrolled in Opportunity Build, the pre-apprenticeship construction program at Rising Sun Center for Opportunity, tailored for women and people affected by the criminal justice system to enter the trades and attain financial stability.

She followed her friend’s Instagram stories for months. “I watched her go to class, and then I watched her graduate and go to work,” Keiarra shares. She was shocked by someone who not only got hired from a program like Opportunity Build, but who also stayed employed: “I watched her go to work for a couple of months, too—that girl was going to work everyday. I was like, ‘Hold up, wait a minute. This person got a job? Oh, I’m next.’”

Keiarra applied and interviewed for Opportunity Build. She got in. She was thrilled for her first day of class. But at the end of that day, she walked outside Rising Sun’s building and had the crushing realization that her car was stolen. Knowing she had no other way to get to class the next day, Keiarra reluctantly approached Rising Sun’s staff about the situation.

Jenn, Opportunity Build’s Lead Case Manager, immediately stepped in with emergency funds to help her secure a rental car for the duration of the program. Keiarra couldn’t help but cry, having never received help in that way from a school or program. Her voice still pangs with emotion when describing the situation months later. “And I’m not saying go rent a car and ask Rising Sun to help. I’m saying, if you have some type of emergency or crisis, and you think that they can’t help you? Well, they can, and they will.”

After 12 weeks of labor, learning, and testing, Keiarra graduated and received the Arvin Naeole Award for Strength, Endurance, Resilience, and Leadership. Opportunity Build’s staff elect one outstanding member of each cohort to honor the spirit and character of the Opportunity Build alumnus who passed.

After never thinking she’d work in the trades, Keiarra is now a 4th generation cement mason in OPCMIA Local 300. She works on water tank structures, housing foundations, infrastructure for electricity, and even the BART tunnel. During her rare down-time on job sites—and with her supervisor’s permission—she will snap photos of herself at work so she can show her kids. “I’m showing my kids that I’m something. I’m not just the mom that goes to jail all the time. No. I’m at work.”

“Rising Sun gave me the support system to change my life. I can 100% help myself now. I don’t have to ask my mom, I don’t have to ask my grandma. I don’t have to ask anybody. I go to work, and I get a check, and I get benefits that help me and my kids.”

“I was living day to day. Now I’m planning ahead.”

Tiffany had been living in a shelter with her seven children for a year and a half. As a manager with construction experience, she had goals to become a general contractor, but she couldn’t find a stable job that would get her started. Then she heard about Opportunity Build.

She joined the Women Building the Bay cohort in the fall of 2025. During the 12 weeks of training, she pushed through the challenges of learning new technical skills, embraced “real talk” about what the field can demand, and reached out to nearly every contractor in Northern California. She navigated six potential sponsorships before landing one with NorCal Carpentry.

Tiffany graduated from Women Building the Bay with her union sponsorship secured. She hopes to run two companies one day (one union, and one non-union) and to help others struggling with unstable housing find stability and opportunity.

Her advice to anyone considering Opportunity Build: “Go for it. It’s going to make a change in your life. If you’re willing to accept that change, then you’re in the right spot.”

Neftaly is from Madera, a predominantly agricultural town in California’s San Joaquin Valley. He was 21 years old when he learned about the Climate Careers program. Alternating between demanding agricultural fieldwork and seasonal political canvassing, Neftaly was looking to build his resume so he could find more secure and higher paying jobs.

“Resources are very hard to find here unless you know somebody. People who don’t go to college don’t know what to do or where to look.” 

As one of the first Climate Careers participants in Central California following the program’s expansion, Neftaly helped people in his community discover ways to save money on utilities while reducing the environmental impact of their homes. These conversations often turned emotional, as he connected with people who reminded him of his own family’s struggles, and inspired him to pursue a career in communications.

“I feel like a program like this is an ‘out’ for a lot of teens that grew up like me and are first-generation Mexican Americans,” Neftaly shared. “I see their parents in the fields—and it could be any race, or like, in general. I see their parents sticking with a certain thing their whole life because that’s all they’ve known, and we’re the ones to break those walls and be like, ‘We could do other stuff.’”

AJ welded in the Navy. As a veteran, she knew she wanted a career in the trades, but she didn’t know where to start.

“I knew I needed to prepare to get into the trades, and Rising Sun felt like the safest route. It got me the job I wanted and pointed me in the right direction.”

After graduating from our Winter 2025 cohort, AJ now works as a union pile driver in Oakland, building bridges, wharfs, docks, and ramps across the Bay Area.

She attended the Tradeswomen Build Nations conference in Chicago with Jenn (Lead Case Manager) and Ashley (Senior Career Services Manager) in September of 2025. They were surrounded by 4,000 union tradeswomen: electricians from Houston, sheet metal workers from Florida, carpenters from LA.

“I’ve never seen anything like it. I felt total pride.”

Before joining Opportunity Build, Becky worked as a security guard. “It was just fast money, something I needed to get the bills paid. I didn’t see myself growing from that.”

A 23-year-old artist born and raised in the East Bay, Becky discovered Opportunity Build by chance. She spotted a flyer on the bus and was immediately drawn in. “What caught my attention was ‘Women Building the Bay.’ I want to be that.” She joined the 2024 Women Building the Bay cohort with roughly 20 other women, and was motivated to enter carpentry or welding.

With housing prices in the Bay Area continuing to rise, Becky is hoping to stay in the place she’s always called home, and grateful that a career in the trades can provide that. “Hopefully I can create my own family here. Just being able to stay here in the Bay Area—that’s my main goal.”

Based on an interview by Gia Vang for NBC Bay Area.

Anthony grew up in The Canal, a neighborhood of San Rafael where most are low-income, with approximately 25% of families falling below the poverty level (Urban Displacement Project, 2015). He was participating in the “University Prep!” program through nonprofit organization Canal Alliance, when Rising Sun staff member Diana Ramirez visited to present on Climate Careers. He was excited by the idea of helping people in his community save money on their utility bills while making an environmental impact.

“As I did my research on Rising Sun and what they do, I realized they helped communities like mine, where people actually need this new stuff, and where I can make money while feeling like I’m doing something for a place that I come from.”

One of the most impactful moments for Anthony as an Energy Specialist occurred during a Green House Call with an older client. As Anthony explained how long an LED bulb would last compared to a traditional one—about 22 years—the woman kept repeating that the bulb would outlive her. Anthony described the encounter as eye-opening, saying “it made me sad in the moment, thinking about how a lot of these elderly people need someone to be there with them. I’m just very happy I was there to talk to this woman.”

He credits Devon, Climate Careers San Rafael’s Leader in Field Training (LIFT) of Climate Careers, for modeling how to pursue goals and advocate for yourself. “For my dream job, I need to do things that will get me there actively, instead of just waiting for things to come to me. I need to ask questions actively. I need to be honest anytime I don’t know something.”

Originally from the Bronx, Noa’s most recent work in New York City was at Rikers Island, where they supported young women, transgender, and gender nonconforming individuals who were incarcerated. Those relationships sparked Noa’s dream to one day build a tiny house community for the same demographic. “They are the ones who prompted me to go out and live my dream and to give back to my community.” 

Noa moved to Fairfax, California, to learn how to build tiny homes through an organization called Big Skills Tiny Homes. The organization went on a field trip to Rising Sun to learn about Opportunity Build. “After the staff told me what [Opportunity Build] was all about, I knew that I was going to come to this program.” Noa soon after joined the Nights and Weekends cohort.

In the program, Noa gained hands-on experience across multiple trades while also earning certifications in CPR, green construction, and OSHA 10. “They teach you about what it takes for an individual to get accepted [into a union apprenticeship], and what people are looking for in the trades,” Noa shared. “Things that I would need in order for me to progress in my life and in my goals.”

Throughout the Nights and Weekends cohort, Noa and other participants utilized their hands-on training time to build their own tiny home. They were then able to donate the tiny home to an Oakland community member in need. 

Noa is driven to use the skills learned in Opportunity Build to build more housing and empower communities, such as the people they worked with at Rikers Island. “The way I want to give back is by learning carpentry, building, and teaching them how to build affordable, sustainable housing for themselves too.”

Paula worked as a Project Administrator at an interior design firm. She’s always loved working with her hands, sparking a subsequent curiosity about a career in the construction trades. Yet it felt out of reach: “I always heard, you know, ‘you’re a woman, they don’t want you.’ Or, ‘You don’t have the experience that they’re looking for. You need to start at a younger age.’ And I kind of began convincing myself that was true, that I couldn’t do it.”

While feeling passively discouraged, her curiosity continued to grow. She realized her favorite part of her job was visiting job sites with the contractors. Outside of work, she looked for any opportunity to explore the trades further. She eventually discovered a job fair at the NorCal Carpenters Training Facility, and took the day off to attend. “I took a risk, I missed money. It was probably one of the best decisions that I made.”

She immediately met a group of encouraging former tradeswomen at Rising Sun’s booth, where she learned about Opportunity Build. Applications were open for the Nights and Weekends cohort—where classes are scheduled to accommodate daytime commitments like full-time jobs—so she applied as soon as she got home.

After 12 weeks of hands-on learning, field trips, and training, Paula graduated from the 2023 Nights and Weekends cohort and secured an apprenticeship with UA Local 342, where she’s paid to pursue her passion and become a plumber.

“I hope to one day become a foreman and maybe even pursue engineering design. Before, I couldn’t really see a future beyond just sitting at a desk, where I was stagnant. Now I just see endless possibilities.”

“Opportunity Build is a life changer. It took me 25 years to find something I could engage in, to do something better in my life. Who knows what would have happened if I kept doing what I was doing. Look at me now, I’m going to be a welder. I’ve got a family here. I built something so strong here. I really appreciate this program.”

In 2022, Carolina lived with her parents and two younger siblings in a one-bedroom home in Stockton. She spent every summer up to that point working in agriculture with her parents, picking cherries and blueberries, and topping onions. “It wasn’t an easy job,” she reflects. As the oldest child, she wanted more for herself and for her family.

Carolina heard about Climate Careers from a friend, who was an alum. But she hesitated while reading the job description—visiting people’s homes was a primary part of being an Energy Specialist. So soon after the COVID-19 pandemic, she feared she could put her family at risk. “But my parents also encouraged me to apply, because one never knows the doors that will open along the way.” Carolina followed her loved ones’ advice, interviewing over the phone and landing a role as an Energy Specialist Driver in the summer of 2022.

Carolina’s hard work throughout the summer provided additional income for her family. They were able to move out of their one-bedroom home to a bigger place, “one that has a bigger yard where my little brother can play,” she shares. “It’s gated, so it’s safer for us. In our other home, it wasn’t really safe for my siblings to go outside and play.”

Carolina came back to Rising Sun in 2023 as a Site Program Manager, where she hired and trained Energy Specialists. Her dedication and hard work led to a full-time role starting in 2024, and in 2025 she was promoted to Appliance Program Associate.

In 2022, David Wilson participated in Climate Careers and Opportunity Build concurrently—a Rising Sun first. He went on to become one of Rising Sun’s Electrification Externs, researching the feasibility and potential benefits of adopting induction cooktops in Bay Area homes.

Today, David’s studying at San Francisco State and hopes to become a naturalist—he recently interviewed with the Oakland Zoo. He credits Climate Careers with demonstrating that green jobs can encompass more than grassroots, protest work—they can also be about informing people and making the world a better place:

“Some people didn’t understand the bigger picture behind Climate Careers, and when you tell someone about climate change that’s a huge umbrella that warrants more questions. I didn’t mind sitting down with people and telling them more, small steps they could take—and sometimes, they share the information with others.”

Sometimes, the hardest doors to open are self-imposed.

Women Building the Bay 2022 graduate Michelle is a mother of two who has been a college student, a surgical dental assistant, and a dog walker. Her husband, who was a union plumber, recently passed, prompting Michelle to enter Women Building the Bay motivated by a determination to show her kids that she could do the work as well as any man. She knew she had made the right decision when she met her classmates.

“They were like a warm hug when I needed it. My cohort pushed me in ways I never could have imagined. That class was full of talented, amazing women who motivated me just by showing up and sharing their struggles. It made me feel less isolated and more like I was working towards something rather than running away from something. The cohort gave me skills that are invaluable and, more importantly, gave me my confidence back.”

In June, Michelle began working as a plumber with the UA Local 342 Plumbers and Steamfitters, and has since begun an apprenticeship. In October, she joined Rising Sun staff at the Tradeswomen Build Nations conference in Las Vegas, connecting with women across the country thriving in union construction careers.

Angie Moreno-Aragon joined Rising Sun for the first time in 2021 on a recommendation from her sister. As an Energy Specialist in Stockton, her summer role was entirely remote—but despite the distance, Angie was able to forge connections. Her work included following up with clients who had received mail order Green House Calls kits, and she found that “hearing about how much they loved it and how it helped, it really clicked how much of an impact the work I did made.”

As summer transitioned into fall, Angie took part in our first series of externships, landing a research opportunity with Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory. “My job was to see how everyday household appliances affected the environment, specifically the air quality,” she shares. Through cooking eggs on a variety of stove tops and pans while monitoring the effects, Angie expanded the lab’s research on the impacts of gas kitchen appliances; she even kept the monitor on out of curiosity when her family prepared meals.

Angie “can say confidently that a gas stove is the worst stove to use when it comes to air quality,” and is glad to have contributed to addressing climate change: “It may not feel like a lot but even a little goes a long way.” Out of everything, “I am most proud of the fact that I was able to put myself out there. Thanks to this job, I have been able to improve my professional skills. I was not very comfortable working since I’d only ever had one real job” before joining Rising Sun. Looking forward, “I want to work in the pastry and baking industry while also entertaining the idea of perhaps going to college instead to study engineering. I am not 100% sure what I want to do with my career, but I know that I’ll be able to thrive.”

As for now? Angie’s back, this time as an in-person Energy Specialist. “I applied again this year because I loved my time with Rising Sun the year prior. The work, the environment, and my coworkers; it all felt very accepting, and I knew it was something that I wanted to be a part of again.”

Niki began Women Building the Bay with an interest in carpentry; she had experience building garden beds and enjoyed farming. As a Sales Supervisor for Costco, Niki had the work schedule of her dreams and a decent income—but the work didn’t use her brain. “Half the time I spent at work, I was thinking of other things to do with my life,” she recalls. A friend connected her with Juanita, Rising Sun’s Construction Instructor and Business Liaison, in late 2019, giving Niki the opportunity to prepare her life and bank account to leave her job of twelve years. “Initially, I was approved to take time off,” she shares, but in February 2020, “I ended up diving in and saying, ‘I know I’m not coming back.’”

Two weeks into the program, her jump bore unexpected fruit. Concord Local 342 Plumbers and Pipefitters’ Chuck Leonard visited Women Building the Bay to discuss opportunities with his union, bringing Niki’s expectations into focus. With so many interesting options, “I felt I could move within that Local.”

Two weeks later, movement halted. With Women Building the Bay paused in response to COVID-19, Niki and her peers looked forward to returning to class in “two more weeks, maybe this month, maybe next month. The further it got, the less hope we had. I didn’t know how many of us, honestly, would be left.” She had dropped everything to pursue this opportunity—and now she found herself “pretty disappointed and a little bit angry. I had never not had a job, ever, but to not have one when COVID hit, being on unemployment and the paperwork for food stamps…it was a different life.” She spoke with Juanita often over the hiatus and stayed connected with her cohort and the Rising Sun team, determined to “put everything I have into this and hope that something comes out on the other end.” In many ways, Niki recalls, her group felt special. Most were sad to forego continued hands-on experience for instruction via Zoom in June—Niki in particular had wanted to work more with tools—but “that’s what held us together; the fact that we did have four weeks to get to know each other” and a collective sense of operating outside of normal life. “So many small things happened to get everyone through.”

Together with 25 of her peers, Niki graduated from Women Building the Bay in July. Determined to join a union, she launched into preparations for the sheet metal test—in major part because the Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 342, her first choice, weren’t slated to accept applications prior to 2021. The day before Niki’s test, Rising Sun’s Workforce Development Manager sent the cohort an email to announce that the Plumbers and Pipefitters would, unexpectedly, be conducting interviews. Niki attended—and as a member of Local 342, she has yet to look back. Joining a union “definitely has changed my life in a positive way, and going through that process…I am excited to reap the benefits of everything I’ve put into it.” Moreover, as a “queer Black woman of color,” Niki is thrilled “to be a small piece of change happening at this Local.” Her new career has opened up many opportunities, including the possibility of someday owning her own farm—and maybe even an animal rescue.

As a freshman in college, Chun Huang looked forward to studying architecture. When COVID-19 delayed his return to class, Chun joined Rising Sun’s Climate Careers as an Energy Specialist to gain applied experience in sustainability and energy efficiency, acting on his belief that “environmental sustainability and consciousness is extremely important, especially in this lifetime, as climate change and global warming continue to threaten people’s livelihood.”

Despite working remotely, Chun was able to connect with Green House Call clients—and in some ways, his impact was more profound than ever:

“One of the clients I was emotionally touched by was an elderly woman who lived by herself. She admitted that she rarely gets to talk to anyone, especially during the pandemic, and it made me greatly appreciate the friends and family that had kept in touch with me virtually. While pitching our free energy efficiency kits, I learned of her financial predicaments due to the shutdown. Although I wasn’t able to offer much help in that regard, I listened in hopes of sharing her burden as I understood what she is going through living in poverty as a low-income immigrant. At the end, she thanked me for assisting her in scheduling a kit because she would be financially unable to purchase the home fixtures herself.”

Chun realized that his conversations were windows into clients’ lives, opportunities not only to “learn and educate others about energy efficiency and the ways climate can affect all of us,” but also to build community—and envision better communities. “I am more aware of energy consumption and sustainability in terms of architectural design. Having sustainability in mind when designing not only helps alleviate the climate crisis, but also helps make spaces a little more livable and interactive. An understanding of fixtures and shades can help maximize the use of renewable resources while discounting the cost,” he shares.

“I think that my actions do address climate change, however small they may be.”

Juju Ruiz joined the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local Union No. 104 in 2019 after graduating from Opportunity Build’s all-female Women Building the Bay cohort. When we spoke in 2021, she was an apprentice with Bullard’s Heating and Air, Inc., where she installed piecing and ductwork for the new BART headquarters across from Oakland’s Children’s Fairyland. “All the doors Rising Sun and Women Building the Bay opened are crazy,” said Juju. “I felt stuck being a stay-at-home mom and knew I could do something more—I loved the thought of being in construction. I was the most indecisive student, but sheet metal chose me.”

Jordan Boker is an Energy Specialist with CLEAResult—but it’s not the first time she’s held that title. In 2014, Jordan was a Climate Careers Energy Specialist in Stockton. “I thought the fact that they were giving younger people the opportunity was very cool. I had a lot of fun that year,” she recalls. At the time a high school student, Climate Careers was a first job and an educational experience in skills that have carried forward. “You don’t necessarily get along with everyone, but you can usually find something to connect about. Keep an open mind, relax, and take it one step at a time.” 

Today, Jordan has a young son and an Associates Degree in Psychology from Cosumnes River College—and she’s happy to be back in Stockton homes, addressing local climate resilience on a grander scale. “I really like outreach because a lot of it is informative. If you don’t know what’s going on, you’re not going to change anything. I don’t think it’s that people don’t want to help, I think it’s that they don’t know how.”