“Come out and try it” was Andy Rusli’s suggestion to his long-time friend, Nienfou Saechao (Nien) regarding volunteering with GRID Alternatives. Nien, expecting construction with a lot of heavy lifting was skeptical. Nonetheless, he took the bait and came to volunteer. To his surprise, he found that installing solar was like building with legos and there is no heavy lifting, anyone can do it.
Since that initial suggestion in May by Andy Rusli, a Solar Installation Supervisor at the Central Valley office, Nien has completed more than 314 volunteer hours and participated in 48 projects with GRID. He has completed the Installation Basics Training (IBT) Program and just received his orange shirt and certificate for his Team Leader Training. Solar installation was not his focus in college; he has a bachelor’s degree from California State University – Fresno in Psychology, but at this time in his life, he finds working outside with his hands, suits him.
When asked about solar as a career, he believes that solar will be in his future. Nien said, “
I have put in the volunteer hours because I want to achieve as much experience as possible to be an asset to a future employer in the solar industry.” Actually, Nien has applied for a position that has opened up within GRID in the SolarCorps program and is hoping for a chance to work with GRID as a staff member. He said that, “he loves working with the guys,” that is another reason that he enjoys coming back and installing. The day goes by quickly and he enjoys the camaraderie that he has with the staff. He also enjoys the interaction with homeowners and the appreciation that they show. When the homeowners provide lunch to volunteers, it is a high point to the completion of a rewarding day providing solar to help lower utility bills.
Nien says, “Get signed up and get up on the roof, it will be fun.”
