Like many high school graduates, Brady Woeste wasn’t sure what he wanted to do for a career.
He had his own stump-grinding and lawn care business, while he’d also done farming – mostly grain and some beef cattle – with his uncle.
However, the 2024 Union County High School graduate finally decided he’d pursue something else thanks in part to another uncle, Sam Woeste, who is a lineman supervisor at Whitewater Valley REMC.
“I’d always talked to him, looked at the power lines driving by, but never thought much about it,” Brady said. “One day I was sitting in class trying to find a career, and I thought I’d give being a lineman a try. It’s hard work, and I like working hard. I’m not scared of heights either. I actually like being up high, it’s kind of fun.”
That pursuit landed the Liberty, Indiana, native at the North American Lineman Training Center in McEwen, Tennessee, where he graduated in April as the latest recipient of Hoosier Energy’s W. Eugene Roberts and Daniel L. Schuckman Memorial Scholarship.
Brady Woeste, left, accepts his scholarship from North American Lineman Training Center Institutional Director Andy McComas.
“I would say about all of it was a learning experience,” Woeste said of his training. “One thing I did enjoy the most was hanging a transformer.
“Another thing would be the steel tower at the school, going up there and hanging off a rope and a ladder from some chains. You wonder, ‘What in the world am I doing?’ but it was super fun.”
It also paid off as Woeste was hired at RushShelby Energy, keeping the family name as part of Hoosier Energy.