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Despite the multiple challenges of being a female in male-dominated fields, 23-year-old Melissa Nicholas is standing strong among the men as an electrician at The Gleaner Company (ÐÓ°ÉÐÔ°É) Ltd, a member of the RJRGLEANER Communications Group.

The former Dunoon Park Technical High School student isn't just climbing the professional ladder, she's breaking ceilings.

"Once I'm in the ceiling, connecting wires or changing out something high up, I feel like I'm on top of the world and unstoppable. I love heights and I'm not afraid," Nicholas said with excitement.

Nicholas, a licensed electrician with a Level 3 certification from the HEART/NSTA Trust, has been with The Gleaner for a little more than a year. While she revels in the protectiveness of her male colleagues, she makes it clear she's not here to be a token.

"It is challenging. Sometimes mi look around and is bare man inna the workspace, and the talk dem can get rough. But mi learn fi hold mi own," she said confidently. "It push me fi do more, and mi love the fact that mi get to learn not just electrical from them, but things like carpentry and welding too."

Growing up in Kingston, Nicholas attended St Benedict's Primary School before heading to Dunoon, where she served as student council president.

"I tried my best to represent my peers and hold it together through high school. Dunoon really prepared me with hands-on skills," she said. Though she left school in 2019 with seven Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate subjects but no Caribbean Advanced Proficiaeny Examinations qualifications, Nicholas took the practical route over the traditional academic path.

"Mi was never the 'university girl' type at first," she admitted. "Mi prefer hands-on, so mi go HEART right after school. But now mi studying project management at UCC (University College of the Caribbean), so mi can expand mi skills."

In the workplace, she's earned respect, not just for her work ethic, but for her bravery in a field that's physically demanding and often unforgiving.

"Electrical work is not just [about] plug in two wire. Sometimes you spend hours doing all your checks and you still can't find the problem. It gets frustrating, mi nah lie. But I have my seniors I can lean on and learn from dem," she said. Nicholas said safety is a top concern, but she feels protected by both her safety gear and her colleagues.

"As an electrician, it's important to know and comply with safety attire. In addition to that, my co-workers always ensure I'm good. Even though I'm a girl, dem don't treat me any different. We are one team and it's like the saying iron sharpen iron," she said. Support from home has been strong, especially from her mother, Louise James.

"Mi madda a mi rock. I call her my 'don' because she always push me and give me good advice. When I said I wanted to do electrical instead of university, she said, 'Go for it. Nothing nuh wrong wid dat.'"

"I really wasn't a college-oriented girl but it goes to show that all journeys towards success are different."

However, there were times of doubt, especially because she did not attend a 'traditional' high school, and once believed in the stigma associated with her very own alma mater.

"People like fi seh nothing good nuh come from Dunoon, but mi a prove dem wrong," Nicholas declared. "Dunoon is a practical school. If yuh listen to the positive teachers and do your work, you can reach far. HEART is a good step too, and then, if you want, you can transition to university."

Now setting her sights on project management and possibly event planning in the future, Nicholas is focused on broadening her reach, but her heart remains wired to the work that first sparked her passion.

"Since I was introduced to electrical studies in high school, I always wonder how flicking a switch could light up a whole room. Now I'm making it happen and I'm still learning," she said.

"I would encourage anyone who loves it, or is interested, to go and do it! Electrical rough, but mi come in and, mi nah lie, it worth it."