For the past 10 years, many of Jenna Iannielli’s job sites have been cold, murky waterways in New York. As an underwater welder, she uses machines to heat and melt pieces of metal together. And she often has to build or repair structures in nearly total darkness.
“It’s a lot of feel and touch,” Iannielli says. “You don’t know what’s 10 feet in front of you.”
Her first underwater job was working on a new bridge across the Hudson River. She quickly learned how extreme her job could be. Fighting the cold, strong current was exhausting. And then there were the eels.
“I’d be working, and they’d be wrapping themselves around my legs,” Iannielli explains. “You just kick them off and continue.”
Despite the challenges, she loves what she does.
“Working with my hands and building things from scratch, it’s amazing,” Iannielli says.