An enthusiastic Seafarer recently received recognition for her professional and inspirational dedication.
The Maryland Department of Labor (MDOL) on Nov. 16 honored Chief Cook Brittany Steward and others with the Apprenticeship Champion Award, which the agency describes as “an honor bestowed to exceptional champions of apprenticeship who have a strong connection to apprenticeship in the State of Maryland.”
Steward is a 2017 graduate of the apprentice program at the SIU-affiliated Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education (PHC), located in Piney Point, Maryland. She’s also a frequent upgrader.
SIU Vice President Contracts George Tricker and SIU Baltimore Port Agent John Hoskins attended the ceremony in support of Steward, as did her mother and brother.
Steward initially didn’t know she’d been nominated for the award. MDOL Director of Apprenticeship and Training Chris MacLarion learned of her background and then visited the hiring hall in Baltimore to speak with Hoskins. Inspired by Steward’s story (as relayed by the port agent), he contacted Steward to learn more about the path that led her to the PHC.
“I feel proud of the award because my journey has been far from easy,” Steward told a Seafarers LOG reporter. “I’m proud of the burning desire to rise above my circumstances. The recognition is not just a testament to my achievements but to the countless individuals who have supported me along the way. I am proud of the resilience I have developed, the empathy I have cultivated, and the determination that has fueled my journey.”
The timing worked out well. Steward (a Baltimore native but current Texas resident) had recently returned from a voyage to Dubai, and already planned to travel to Baltimore to visit family.
Steward mentioned that her early years were spent with a foster family. Her mother worked diligently, juggling multiple jobs and overcoming her own challenges so that she may one day be reunited with her daughter. Those efforts paid off and they indeed reconnected after three years.
Steward said her mother has “always been there to support me and to guide me on my path, even when I made mistakes. She did her best with guiding me and I appreciate that. She was definitely my biggest support system. That’s really my motivation because her story inspired me. No matter what you go through or what you’ve been through, if you’ve got the right mindset, you can do anything you want.”
After Steward graduated from Mergenthaler Vocational-Technical High School (also known as Mervo) in Baltimore City, she struggled to find her footing in the working world. She eventually enrolled in a private career school, where she amassed a significant amount of student loan debt – and still had no clear career path to show for it.
Prior to enrolling at the PHC, Steward at various times had worked as a dental assistant, bartender, and staff member in the Baltimore County American Job Centers. A friend had suggested joining the Seafarers via the apprentice program (which is registered with the U.S. Department of Labor), but she didn’t take it seriously at first.
“I was listening, but I wasn’t listening,” she admits, until about two months later when she finally read the information that she had asked them to provide. It was then that she thought, “This is my ticket out of Baltimore.”
Her vision proved correct. She’d never left the city until enrolling in Piney Point, but now has been to several countries.
Steward may have delayed her entry into the U.S. Merchant Marine, but she made up for it. After graduating from PHC Class 826S on a Friday in 2017, she shipped out the following Monday. As Steward described it, she “went straight to the money,” and made $6,000 per month on her first vessel.
Seeing that first paycheck “was life-changing,” she recalled. “I received it and immediately paid off all of my student loans. I’m debt-free.”
After successfully completing two voyages as an SA, Steward returned to Piney Point to begin upgrading. She then climbed the gangway of the USNS Impeccable in the Philippines, ready to work as a chief cook – and promptly was asked to step in as the new chief steward.
Understandably nervous, Steward overcame some figurative speed bumps and handled the surprise assignment.
“I was nervous but I did it,” she said. “I took that opportunity to step up because I want to move up as fast as I can. I will still upgrade and still take classes, but I wanted to take advantage of that opportunity.”
Steward isn’t only focused on her own advancement, though. Since finding her career path, she has shared her story in hopes of enlightening others about maritime careers.
“I’m trying to be reachable to people that look like me in my environment, that talk like me, that dress like me and think that they’re not supposed to be in these rooms,” she said.
One method Steward launched was her own startup YouTube channel.
“What made me start filming? I got tired of talking to people in the neighborhood; they weren’t listening. So, I said, instead of asking me, go to my YouTube channel and if the information is for you, it’s for you,” she said.
She added, “I procrastinated on it for a few years because I didn’t like how I talked in front of the camera. I didn’t want to be too real, but I know my people are my people. If you can relate to me, then I’m happy with that.” (Her channel is @stuthesailor)
Meanwhile, the MDOL not only listened to Steward’s story but found it compelling enough to include her in the agency’s third annual awards event.
During the presentation, MDOL official Erin Roth stated, “The reason that she’s getting this Apprenticeship Champion award today is because she continues to tell anyone and everyone in the city and where she lives now out of her home base in Houston, Texas, about the opportunities that apprenticeship can offer. So, thank you, Brittany. We really appreciate you.”
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