Every person who drives over the blue line as a new employee becomes a part of history. Whatever connection they have to Y-12, whether a tie to the past, the community, or a new opportunity, employees find their place as they build the future. Meet the newest craft members on site.
Where career paths cross the blue line
Mikal C. joined Y-12 a year ago and looks forward to continuing to plot a career path at the site.
Mikal C. joined the Y-12 Construction craft team as a laborer in March 2025. After graduating high school, she started down a path she’d always planned to travel, but it wasn’t the one she’s on today.
“My family works in the medical field. My dad is a paramedic and my mom is a nurse. That’s where I thought I would be and I was going to major in nursing,” she said.
Then she walked into her first lab in her second semester and found her “wake-up call” staring up at her from a laboratory table.
“I said ‘absolutely not’ the minute I walked into the first lab with a dead rat,” she said.
That was the last time she wanted to open a door without knowing what was waiting behind it.
“I realized I wanted a job that gives you a chance to grow into the role, not just be dropped in the middle of a program or process.”
Mikal’s brothers followed their grandfather’s path in the cable business, but that wasn’t for her, either. Friends and family offered advice. Then, her husband’s cousin, a laborer at Y-12, shared that a career path in trades at Y-12 offered room to grow. She considered it.
“At first, I said, ‘I’m not doing that.’ But I saw it would be an opportunity to choose my own path,” Mikal said. “I filled out an application with a couple of friends and took all the classes the local offered. The local called me with an opening at Y-12 as a general laborer in housekeeping.”
“I took the leap, and it’s been one of the best decisions I’ve made,” she continued. “It’s provided better opportunities for my family and allowed me to learn something new every day while being part of meaningful work.”
“In all the safety meetings, we talk about housekeeping and how keeping your areas clean plays a big role for safety,” Mikal said. “It’s something we try to teach everyone. What we do models how new employees should practice housekeeping skills.”
Mikal’s positive attitude and commitment is to ensure Y-12 workspaces are clean, controlled, and compliant.
"Mikal came to work for Construction about a year ago; she has proven to be a huge asset to the laborer group from day one. Her attention to detail, professional attitude, and dedication to her job show every day in her performance," said Construction Superintendent Chris W.
Poor housekeeping is a leading cause of slips, trips, and falls on construction sites. Maintaining work areas helps deliver the mission: ensuring areas are consistently clean impacts safety, scheduling, and mission reliability.
"The facilities that Mikal maintains serve as the main hub for the CNS Construction organization. I regularly receive feedback from the tenants about the outstanding performance Mikal and her working partner bring to the facilities," Chris said.
The most important lesson Mikal has learned at Y-12 is the role each individual has in overall plant safety and operations. She sees her personal ties to the mission in safety and operational readiness.
“Every role matters, even when it’s not always visible,” she said. “Showing up every day and doing my job well helps maintain a professional environment that supports the mission.”
Mikal’s husband is also a Y-12er, but she was here first, forging her own path she can follow into a long-term future.