Gazebo Gazette

Braxton Piernas, a recent graduate of Pass Christian High School, is interning with the company after having an impactful experience with one of Mississippi Power’s own in the line crew.

His interest in being a lineman began in middle school when Electric Serviceman Chris Boston visited his childhood home after an outage occurred.
Piernas watched as Boston repaired a transformer in front of his home.
“When he pulled up, I went outside and just started watching him work,” said Piernas. “This was my first experience with careers in power.”
Boston spent time talking to Piernas and his brother about what he does as a lineman, and Piernas enjoyed learning that a career in linework could help others in his community.
Initially, Piernas was interested in following in his grandfather’s footsteps by joining the military, however his conversation with Boston about a career as a lineman continued to resonate with him.
“I started seeing videos on Tik Tok of linemen working, and it just looked so fascinating. I could tell that every day in that job would be different,” said Piernas.
Throughout high school, Piernas even followed the Mississippi Power Facebook page to continue learning.
When Piernas became a junior at Pass High, he started to ask his school counselors to help him get accepted into the Harrison County Energy Academy.
Through the energy academy, Piernas learned about tools and equipment, wiring and circuits, how to climb a utility pole and even had the chance to work on different hands-on projects.
Upon graduating from the energy academy, Piernas applied for an internship with Mississippi Power. He began as an intern earlier this summer with the Bay St. Louis crew.
“It is so cool to work in my hometown. I am seeing the work we are doing every day,” said Piernas.
Piernas will be interning with the company until the fall, working alongside Boston, who sparked his desire to pursue the career.
“I am so thankful for the experience,” said Piernas. “The work that linemen do is really interesting, and I am excited to help with everyday needs.”
Now in its 98th year of operations, Mississippi Power, a subsidiary of Southern Company (NYSE: SO), produces safe, reliable and affordable energy for more than 191,000 customers in 23 southeast Mississippi counties.

Mississippi Power was honored with a Community Partner Impact Award from the Center for Energy Workforce Development for its innovative and ongoing efforts to build a diverse workforce.