LU25 Instructor Profile: Juan Aguilera

Army vet, contestant on “The Voice,” traveler, pipefitter – Juan Aguilera has written many chapters in his book of life, and he’s excited to turn the page to a new one: Full-time LU25 Training Center Instructor.

Juan’s been a member of Local 25 since 2013. He got out of the Army in late 2011 and started looking into the trades. Some friends who were LU25 members talked the apprenticeship program up enough that he applied. Juan reached out to LU25 through the Helmets to Hardhats program, which helps veterans connect with career opportunities in the trades. His military background provided a solid foundation for his new career as both a pipefitter and an instructor.

“Training soldiers is pretty similar to training apprentices,” Juan said. “The type of individuals who are leaning towards a military career would thrive in this environment.”

Juan will teach LU25 apprentices math, science, welding, valve repair, layout, tube bending, construction tech and eventually rigging. He’s been teaching part-time at 25 for about five years, and he’s elated to make teaching his full-time job.

“I am most excited about bringing a newer/different perspective to the training center,” Juan said. “I've traveled the whole country for work and probably had different experiences than much of our membership and most of our current instructors.”

Juan’s right about those different experiences – he’s certainly the only instructor at LU25 who was a contestant on “The Voice.” Although it didn’t kickstart a full-blown career in music, he’s a talented country music performer who still plays gigs around town as “JD Aguilera.”

Beyond work and music, Juan maintains an active lifestyle with his family. He and his wife and children practice jiu-jitsu and participate in half marathons when possible.