"Being a lineman is an awesome title to have. Once you have that, no one can take it away from you,” said Angel Ruiz, Line Mechanic-A, based at the Elkhart Service Center.

For Ruiz, line work isn’t just a job, it was a calling to help her community and challenge herself.

Ruiz joined I&M in 2010 as part of the Meter Reader Operations (MRO) department, but quickly progressed as a Line Mechanic-A based at the Elkhart Service Center. She is I&M’s first female line mechanic-A. 

“I started out as a meter reader. I did that for awhile and then I wanted to progress and do something different,” Ruiz said. “I got into the network (underground electrical work) apprenticeship and it’s a very specialized field.” 

From there, Ruiz was hit with the drive to become a line mechanic after deploying to Fort Wayne in 2012 to help restore power after a derecho devastated the area. She saw hundreds of bucket trucks lined up to help customers and was inspired.

“It was the coolest thing I had ever seen. As we drove through, I said to myself ‘I want to do this. I want to do this.’ During that storm response, I saw all the live action and that’s what excited me to get into line work,” Ruiz said.

So what is her favorite aspect of line work?

“For me it’s extremely gratifying to go out after a storm and help restore customers. It makes you feel so accomplished,” she said.

Recently, Ruiz passed her B200 certification, which is the final class needed to become a Line Mechanic-A. It’s a huge accomplishment for her, and also was the first time her class instructor taught a female and a double journeyman (underground and above-ground).

Ruiz recently spoke at AEP’s Women in Linework (WiL) program. This program was the first time Ruiz said she had met another female line mechanic.

“It was great to help out these girls, bounce ideas off each other and give each other pointers and just encourage them and let them know they can do this job,” Ruiz said.