Laura Galavis
Finding and Creating Meaningful work in the Solar Industry
From corporate engineer to non-profit construction manager – Laura’s experience is vast and far-reaching.
Laura fell in love with photovoltaics at 16 when she saw her first Casio solar calculator.
Finding out how to turn that love into a profession took her a lot longer. Born and raised in “oil-rich” Venezuela, Laura opted to pursue a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering that, as Jigar Shaw puts it, “is like the liberal arts of engineering”.
After graduating in 2008 she applied to the 5 solar companies that existed in her country at the time. No opportunities opened then, but she continued to seek out internships, continuing education classes and read a lot of PV magazines. Her jobs ranged from engineering consultant to nanny to medical interpreter. She relocated to the US in 2009.
At beginning of 2014 she took vacation days from her job at Cintas to volunteer with GRID Alternatives. Being on the roof installing solar panels made her take the plunge. She gave a 2 months’ notice with her employer and decided PV construction would be her career.
She was hired as a Solar Corp fellow by GRID San Diego and continued her journey working with Third Sun Solar, Enphase and Sunrun. Earlier this year she returned to GRID to continue training the next generation of installers.
Show Notes