June 25, 2026
June 25, 2026
When Roberto Granados walked into his apprenticeship interview, he brought something none of the other candidates had: a portfolio. Pages documenting his labs, his projects, and the commercial skills he'd built over two years at Long Beach City College. The recruiters were impressed, and Roberto walked away with a placement and a lesson worth more than any single exam. In the electrical trade, being good at the work is only half the job. The other half is showing people you're good at it.
That understanding, that competence has to be paired with the ability to present yourself, is a big part of why we're proud to name Roberto one of our 2026 Dakota Prep Fellows, selected as one of four winners for his commitment to helping his classmates succeed.
Roberto didn't start out planning to be an electrician. He found the trade through a side door, working as a receiving lead at Macy's, managing inventory and the store's lighting and lamp stockrooms. He could swap out burned-out lamps, but when a ballast or LED fixture failed, he had to call in the maintenance electricians and watch them work.
"Observing their work showed me how essential skilled electricians are in a commercial environment. That experience sparked my interest in the electrical trade and motivated me to pursue formal education to become an electrician."
When the pandemic disrupted the logistics sector he'd been working in, Roberto made the leap, enrolling in the General/Industrial Electrician program at Long Beach City College in 2024. He approached it with a clear philosophy.
"I strongly believe that perspective drives performance. My perspective has always been to take pride in the work I do, no matter how small the task may seem."
It showed in his results. Roberto carried a 3.9 GPA and made the Dean's List with Great Distinction term after term, all while preparing for a working career in the field.
The portfolio became Roberto's signature. Encouraged by his professors to document his learning, he poured significant time into building his first electrical portfolio, tracking the labs, projects, and skills he developed across the program, and eventually built it into a polished presentation he could put in front of recruiters. He now maintains a resume and two portfolios, and an online version his professors urged him to create so hiring managers could view his work alongside his application.
The payoff was concrete. After passing the testing and interview process for an apprenticeship, Roberto found that his preparation set him apart from everyone else in the room.
"Their words of affirmation brought me a sense of accomplishment for being the only candidate with a portfolio. I genuinely felt proud my efforts paid off."
It's a small thing that turns out to be a big thing, and it captures Roberto's whole approach: the work has to be excellent, but you also have to make sure the right people can see it.
Roberto's instinct was never to keep his edge to himself. What began as solitary studying turned into something bigger when he realized how much further the group could go together. He organized study sessions that grew into a consistent group of eight students meeting in the school library after hours, working through the National Electrical Code, and he walked classmates through real problems like motor load calculations, showing them which articles to use for conductor sizing and overcurrent protection.
He pushed his classmates to think like professionals, too, encouraging all eight to build their own portfolios for job applications and sharing his as a template to help them get started. He even brought a classmate along to a tool shop to set up a proper electrician's vest. His professor, Kimberly Mosley, saw the same quiet leadership up close.
"Roberto is quiet and deliberate in his leadership. I have watched him partner with and mentor classmates who struggled on electrical concepts. He demonstrated initiative and a proactive approach to elevate his rank and position on the hiring list. This stands out and I believe has raised the bar for those who come after Roberto." (Kimberly Mosley, Long Beach City College)
The Dakota Prep Fellowship will support him as he finishes his certification and associate degree, prepares for his apprenticeship, and continues to lend a hand to the classmates coming up behind him. As Roberto puts it, in a line that doubles as his philosophy, "the effort you give today becomes the influence you carry tomorrow." It's hard to imagine a fellow who embodies that idea more completely.
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