When the coronavirus pandemic kept Southern California Edison customers at home around the clock, electricity use surged — and power equipment didn’t always get the chance to cool down.
As the stress on the system caused recurring outages in pockets of SCE’s service area, engineer Travon Dent knew solutions would have to stretch beyond temporary fixes.
“We were striving for lasting solutions,” said Dent, a senior engineer at SCE. “I helped design upgrades for higher-capacity electrical systems that create better reliability for the community.”
In his nine years with SCE, the work he did during the pandemic is still the most memorable. Because for Dent, it was personal. Growing up in South Central Los Angeles, he remembers times when his household didn’t always have power.
“I know what it’s like to live life without power and the toll it takes,” he said. “I wanted to make sure my kids and other kids didn’t have to go through that.”
As a kid himself, Dent spent hours helping his brother take apart and rebuild electronics piece by piece to learn how machines worked. By the time he enrolled in community college, electrical engineering felt like a natural fit. He transferred to Cal Poly Pomona, graduated in 2017 and joined SCE, where he now guides distribution system design, supports field engineers and mentors newer colleagues.
During National Engineers Week, Dent reflects on the full circle moment of becoming a mentor himself after being guided in his early career by fellow SCE senior engineer Burl Smith.
“I looked to Burl as an example of the skills and attitude a senior engineer should have,” said Dent. “He was right there to give me the kudos, once I got promoted, and now I get to pass that support on to others.”
The two found similarities in their paths to engineering. Growing up in San Bernardino, Smith was also raised in a household where money was tight and stability was not guaranteed.
In Smith’s mid-20s, his father was diagnosed with cancer, ushering in a sense of urgency about his own future. He, too, enrolled in community college and transferred to Cal Poly Pomona where he earned his degree in electrical and computer engineering.
He joined SCE as a distribution engineering intern in 2011, seven years before meeting Dent. Now they work together as peers on several projects, including designing higher‑capacity power lines that deliver power more efficiently — supporting SCE’s goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2045 while also meeting growing energy demand.
“There are things we’re working on today that won’t be built for years, and they’ll still be shaping the grid long after we retire,” said Smith. “Being part of that is pretty incredible.”
Yet when the two engineers talk about what matters most, they point not to projects, but to people. Both know there’s more than one path into engineering — and that belief fuels their commitment to mentoring.
“Teaching is my passion,” Smith said. “Seeing engineers like Travon grow into new roles and become my peers — that’s what I’m most proud of.”
For more information on career opportunities at SCE, visit sce.com/careers.
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