TIP’s July news celebrates the 2026 Wall of Fame Award winners, shares ways to support TIP through the #ONEDAY Critical Needs Alert and Happenstance Cafe, and spotlights masonry graduate Manika and her journey to a new career.
Manika was looking for a new career path. Her best friend was enrolled at TIP and was so enthusiastic about the masonry program that Manika applied too. At 47, she had spent years raising her children and caring for patients as a nursing assistant. She was inspired to find her NEXT! Manika is now an apprentice of Cement Masons Local 526.
In January, Aaron Lockhart became our new board president, following David Jardini’s three-year tenure.
At our December board meeting, David passed along his own trowel that he began working with in the 1970s alongside family who taught him the trade, and shared the story of the trowel and his masonry legacy.
Before attending TIP, Rayne had been driving a school bus. She wanted to learn a practical skill and was interested in masonry. Rayne remembers staring at Google thinking, “What else can I do? There has to be someone who can teach me how to lay bricks.” That’s when she found TIP. “But, being at TIP blossomed into so much more than laying brick.”
Alexis first heard about TIP through the Department of Public Welfare. She happened to walk past the career wall, and a TIP flyer caught her attention. She remembers thinking, “This might actually be what I want to do.” We are grateful she applied to TIP to launch her career. Alexis is now an apprentice with the carpenters union!
Welcome to TIP News! We are excited to share what’s happening on the shop floors, at our job sites, and in our communities. Stay tuned for news about events and opportunities, and hear from our students, staff, alumni, TIPX crew, and partners. Thanks for reading!
Dustin first heard about TIP in 2022 while he was living in transitional housing. He was skeptical at first, but he was looking for a fresh start. Dustin said, “TIP opened my mind up to different opportunities and who I can be as a person.”
