Brenda Paul

Brenda started working at Santee Cooper in 2000 in an administrative capacity.  She already had two degrees, one in Business Administration and the other in Health Science.  Yet, she yearned for more.  A brochure from the American Public Power Association (APPA) was distributed at her office around that time announcing the online EPCE-sponsored education and training programs, and she enrolled in the Electric Power Technology (ELPW) program through Bismarck State College.

“It is a good program, and a good introduction into the electrical field.  For me, it was a step in the right direction.  It also made a big difference to me that the EPCE program was supported by the energy industry.”

As a single mother of two, working two jobs, Brenda had a lot to juggle while in school.  Luckily one child was already in college, but the other was a high school boy.  “I used to take my books to his baseball games.  Someone around me would always tell me when my son was up, so I really didn’t miss much.”

Brenda is the first employee of Santee Cooper to complete the BSC degree program.  “My company made the process easy for me; they helped me schedule time so that I could take extended lunch breaks to complete school work.  They are very big on employees having degrees.”  Now, there is another Santee Cooper employee close to graduating the program.

Since receiving her degree, Brenda has been promoted.  She sees bigger things on the horizon thanks to her new found knowledge of the industry.  “I am very glad that the brochure came across my desk. With the price of gasoline these days, online is definitely the way to go.”