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Tiquila Dawson
Tiquila Dawson
01:02

Tiquila Dawson

Oncor

TX USA

"If you want it bad enough, you’ll work hard enough to get it."

Career Roadmap

Tiquila's work combines: Environment & Nature, Engineering, and Accomplishing Goals

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Day In The Life

Environmental Material Specialist

I work toward health and environmental safety in the waste management department of an electric delivery company.

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Day In The Life Of An Environmental Material Specialist

Skills & Education

Here's the path I took:

  • High School

  • Associate's Degree

    Industrial Systems - Electrical Specialization

    Texas State Technical College

Life & Career Milestones

My path in life took a while to figure out

  • 1.

    I started working at a Kohl’s distribution center and became the first female mechanic.

  • 2.

    I didn’t know much about mechanics, so I enrolled in school at Texas State Technical College to learn more.

  • 3.

    My original plan was to complete a mechanic certification program.

  • 4.

    When Oncor, an electricity distribution and transmission company, visited the school, I inquired what it would take to get hired and learned that I would need a two-year degree.

  • 5.

    I ended up switching my program to pursue a two-year associate degree in applied science with an electrical specialization.

  • 6.

    At that time, I was working in the HVAC field but I was underpaid, so I gladly took Oncor’s offer to join the company through an internship.

  • 7.

    After starting at Oncor as an intern, I was hired on full-time in December of 2021 and am currently working as an environmental material specialist.

Defining Moments

Experiences and challenges that shaped me

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  • My family was poverty-stricken growing up, which made life difficult and stressful. We lived in a trailer house with no running water. Our electricity and gas would get shut off often.

  • I struggled with alcoholism by the time I was about 13 or 14 years old. My family was struggling financially, I had been molested, and felt I had to take on a lot as the oldest of three. Alcohol was a way to cope.

  • After graduating high school, I started a cycle of going in and out of prison. July of 2022 marks ten years since I've been home with no problems with the law!