Milwaukee Tools Apprentice of The Month - Tony Nguyen

Apprentices must have a certain constitution when they come through our program. They need to be of strong physical strength, good mental acuity, and, if they are really to go above and beyond, a good sense of humor and personality. This month’s apprentice of the month, fourth year Tony Nguyen, embodies these qualities.

“I try not to take things too seriously if I can help it,” says Tony. “I enjoy myself at work and I just try to learn everything I can.”

Starting out as a solar installer for the under-privileged with AmeriCorps, Tony realized that he liked the work and that he would like to dedicate his career to helping people whenever possible. Known for his generosity, if you have the good fortune to have him as a classmate you will more than likely eat some of the food he brings in to share with the class.

“I grew up in South Sac during the crash of ’08,” says Tony. “The best way to phrase it is that I saw my countrymen killing each other over scraps. I know what it is to be hungry. I want to always make sure everyone is eating. So I do stuff like that.”

“He has the best attitude, man, the absolute best attitude,” says Brendan Nelson, fourth year instructor. “He is always making jokes and smiling. He is also insanely generous and brightens the mood of whatever room he’s in.”

When asked if he had advice for lower-classmen, Tony says to keep at it and don’t be too hard on yourself.

“Making mistakes is fine as an apprentice,” says Tony. “I believe that everyone is good at something. If you find you’re not good at something, stick around; you’ll be good at something else.”

“He’s a great worker, always ahead of his journeyman,” says Scott Steelman, Tony’s foreman and a Morrow-Meadows hand for the past six years. “He is fun on the jobsite, too, and very generous. He’s always buying donuts for the crew.”

For his hard work, Tony will receive a PACKOUT bag and hand tool from Milwaukee Tools and congratulations from all the staff at the Sacramento JATC.