In Focus
Inspiring the Next Generation at Bring Your Children to Work Day
By Vanessa Lopez
On August 13, an exciting hustle and bustle filled the John Ferraro Building as employees arrived to work accompanied by some very special guests. For the first time since 2019, LADWP hosted the Bring Your Children to Work Day event, in partnership with IBEW Local 18. This cherished event’s return was met with enthusiasm as demonstrated by the tremendous turnout of over 500 children ranging in ages from five to 18. The normally restrained JFB echoed with the laughter of children ready to explore and learn. A few of them even sported outfits to match their parents.
Jahayra Gastelum with her father, a former LADWP employee, at Silverlake Reservoir in 1994.
“This event holds a special place in my heart, as it was a part of my childhood. My father started bringing me to work with him at the tender age of three years old, and by the time I was nine, I made up my mind that I would work at LADWP one day. It was here that I was inspired to pursue a career in Civil Engineering.”
Jahayra Gastelum, Civil Engineering Associate
At 10:00 a.m., some of the employees and their children joined the beginning of the Board of Water and Power Commissioners meeting, where they were welcomed by the Board and LADWP CEO and Chief Engineer Janisse Quiñones. Helen Olivares, Managing Water Utility Engineer, was accompanied by her children as she gave remarks about the significance of the day.
“As an engineer, I get to contribute to wonderful projects and programs that keep our city running. As a parent, days like this remind me of the importance of balancing work with family. It’s really fantastic to see so many young faces here today learning about the incredible work that we do, and hopefully our kids are inspired to be a part of the LADWP family when they grow up.”
Helen Olivares, Managing Water Utility Engineer
Official programming kicked off on the A-Level of JFB, where representatives from LADWP’s professional resource groups, employee resource groups and organizational partners were able to talk with attendees. During the event, younger children had the opportunity to participate in a variety of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) focused activities provided by LADWP’s longstanding education outreach partners, Wildwoods and the Discovery Cube. Activities included building a working model of the California Aqueduct System using buckets and PVC pipe, making handmade clay medallions, and learning the fundamentals of coding to direct small robots and robotic cars along colorful roadmaps.
For the middle- and high-school age children in attendance, the Department hosted an engaging career panel where students were able to hear first-hand about what it is like to work at LADWP. A wide variety of job classifications were represented by the panelists: Managing Water Utility Engineer Helen Olivares, Electric Distribution Mechanic Supervisor and IBEW Local 18 President Rafael Lopez, Utility Executive Secretary Samantha Lopez, and Power Engineering Manager Sirlord Morse. Their diverse backgrounds and inspiring messages painted a well-rounded picture of what it’s like to work at the largest municipal water and power utility in the nation. CEO Quinoñes also stopped by the career panel along with her son, Ansel. He joined his mom on stage as she shared a few words with the audience, noting how special the day was for her and Ansel as it was the first Bring Your Children to Work Day event they had ever been able to attend together. The discussion concluded with an interactive question-and-answer session between the panelists and children in the audience.
The opportunity for LADWP employees to spend the day with their children and share the impactful work they do every day for the City of L.A. made for a special event. Through Bring Your Children to Work Day, it is the Department’s hope that the children were inspired to pursue their own career aspirations in the future, whether that is joining their parents at LADWP, or elsewhere. Thank you to the LADWP staff and partners who made this event possible, including the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, the Communications and Corporate Strategy Division and IBEW Local 18. Their commitment and collaboration made for a truly wonderful event!
