Apprentice Spotlight

April 30^th is National Apprentice appreciation day. To Celebrate this month, 913’s page updates will be highlighting apprentices from our Local. Let Me Introduce Commercial Painting Apprentice, Shanice “Shine” Crenshaw. 

Shanice lives in San Francisco and has been a member of Local 913 since 2022. She was sponsored by California Drywall and has been working with them ever since. In her time at Cal Drywall, she was able to get introduced to the Wallcovering side of painting, which is a skill that will undoubtedly help her throughout her career and make her a valuable asset to any company she works for in the future. Shine definitely has a bright future in our Union. We asked her a few questions and this is what she had to say.

What Inspired you to pursue a career in the trades?

“I wanted to get into the trades because I knew it would provide longevity as far as money. Being able to take care of my family, and even learning a new skill that I will have for the rest of my life. I can take painting with me everywhere. Its Universal!”

(Prepping Walls for Covering)

What has been your favorite project so far and why?

“My favorite project so far has been working at SFO Airport because you see a whole bunch of different people. We painted the Red Line & Blue Line transit signs at every terminal. It was done working overnight. It feels good to say that I worked on something so important and means so much to the world.”

What skill do you feel are essential to be successful in your trade? & What Skills have you acquired since getting into the Union?

 “I think to be able to pay attention to details is the best way to be successful in this trade, especially being a painter. Spending the extra time to go over your work and making sure you actually are proud of I can make a big difference. Since being in the trades, I’ve gotten much better at problem solving. Mistakes happen, but being able to fix something makes the job go a whole lot smoother.

What do you enjoy most about your Trade?

 “The thing I love most about painting is making art. I love colors and I love to see things pop. Seeing something you painted just feels good knowing you made that difference to a building.”

Shanice is currently an 80% apprentice and is on track to graduate and be a Journey worker in 2027. It’s apprentices like her that make our Union what it is and secures the future of our industry. Keep on doing your thing out there, we got your back! One Union, One Family, One Fight!