Ashley Swan – San Francisco Chapter Scholarship Recipient

Ashley Swan is the recipient of the Chapter’s $500 scholarship for the Spring 2020 semester at Las Positas College. Ashley is a proud woman that is currently finishing her A.S. in Welding Technologies at Las Positas College.  She grew up in her parent’s machine shop, and over the years heard the horror stories of what happens when there is a lack of safety in other shops.  Years later, after starting work in the field herself, Ashley came across many people who openly discussed close calls and permanent scars. She heard about others that never came home from work.  Ashley decided that taking the OSHA classes at Las Positas would help her do her part to ensure everyone goes home to their families at the end of the day, in one piece, and not in a box.  There eventually came a day when an individual she knew didn’t come back from work in one piece.  Shortly thereafter, Ashley had her own close call and realized then how easily safety can be overlooked in the workplace.  She realized how much impact safety professionals have in the workplace; “just someone to be there to recommend that standing on each other’s shoulders is not the best way to change a light bulb”.  Ashley is looking forward to leveraging her experiences and new skills from her OSHA studies to find a meaningful career in safety and health. 

Jamie Hartwig – Construction Section Scholarship Recipient

Jamie Hartwig is the recipient of the Construction Section’s $500 scholarship for the Spring 2020 semester at Las Positas College. Jamie acknowledged that he is honored to receive the scholarship. He is nearing completion of the OSH degree program at Las Positas College and has taken much of what he has learned into the workplace.

Jamie’s interest in Occupational Safety and Health is tied to his experience as a field technician at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL). He said the OSHA program at Las Positas has earned a good reputation at the Lab. He knows several Lab employees who have completed the program.  Jamie has been an employee for the Radioactive Hazardous Waste Program (RHWM) at LLNL for 12 years. Jamie’s work experience in RHWM includes Environmental Health and Safety responsibilities. A large part of his job duties include safety controls for a variety of hazards including radioactivity, chemicals and physical work activities.  Jamie wants to further expand his career in Health and Safety.   He work experience has given him a lot of ES&H experience and he is eager to learn more about developing a positive safety culture.

  He recognizes that the Lab has a strong safety culture and knows that improves workplace safety.  He has worked for employers that did not have a good safety culture and has seen the difference. Jamie has been in the work force long enough to see how far “safety” has come. He has noticed that proactive companies always seek to improve safety and health. This is one of the reasons why Jamie believes that safety and health management is fascinating and provides many good career options.