'It doesn't feel real': Pittsburgh carpenter's apprentice attends State of the Union as Jill Biden's guest

Samantha Ervin-Upsher kept getting calls recently from a Washington, D.C., number. She assumed they were spam and didn’t answer or call back.

But Monday, she finally picked up, and she’s glad she did.

Turns out, it was the White House — yes, that White House — with an important question for the 24-year-old carpenter’s apprentice from Pittsburgh:

Would she come to the nation’s capital as one of first lady Jill Biden’s 20 special guests to watch the president’s State of the Union Address on Thursday night?

It was a no-brainer.

“I was in awe,” the mother of two from the city’s Brighton Heights section said Friday after returning from her whirlwind trip. “I don’t think it really hit me … until I got here.”

The once-in-a-lifetime opportunity grew from a pivotal meeting Ervin-Upsher had last summer with the first lady, who visited Pittsburgh in July to tout her husband’s economic policies. Jill Biden made a speech outside Pittsburgh International Airport, where Ervin-Upsher helped build walls for the terminal.

Ervin-Upsher, a first-year apprentice with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Local 432 in Pittsburgh, said Friday that she was told she was chosen to attend the State of the Union because of how she carries herself, what she stands for and the impression she made on Jill Biden.

On Thursday, when the White House announced the first lady’s guest list, Ervin-Upsher was No. 5 in the alphabetical listing.

“Each of these individuals were invited by the White House because they personify issues or themes to be addressed by the president in his speech, or they embody the Biden-Harris administration’s policies at work for the American people,” the White House said.

Ervin-Upsher would end up sitting in Jill Biden’s viewing box in the U.S. Capitol along with Vice President Kamala Harris’ husband, Doug Emhoff, and a diverse roster of guests to listen to the president’s annual speech to Congress.

Among them: a civil rights advocate who marched in Selma, Ala., in 1965, the United Auto Workers president and the prime minister of Sweden. There was a plumber, a nurse and a teacher.

And a carpenter from Pittsburgh.

“It doesn’t feel real,” Ervin-Upsher said. “I bumped elbows with so many people.”

She said that the White House covered her airfare both ways and hotel costs for the one night she was in the capital.

Before the speech started, Ervin-Upsher got to walk around and tour the White House. It was her first time inside.

“It was unreal — I’m waiting to wake up,” Ervin-Upsher said. “I just kept silently screaming, ‘We’re in the White House, oh my gosh, we’re in the White House!’ ”

She was awed by the size of the iconic building and stunned by some of the decor. She recalled her experience in the Red Room, where she was asked not to touch the walls.

The reason: They’re made of velvet.

Also impressing Ervin-Upsher was meeting the man of the hour: President Joe Biden.

She said that the president’s “sense of caring” stood out the most during her visit.

“You can hear the passion, you can feel the passion,” she said.

Ervin-Upsher said she networked all night with people including the Biden family, the second gentleman and some White House correspondents.

The event itself was packed, she said.

Though people were taking selfies as Biden made his way to the rostrum, the guests were asked to turn in their phones before the speech started.

For Ervin-Upsher, the most notable part of Biden’s 68-minute address was when he spoke about building, keeping jobs in America and his support of union workers.

“I think it’s totally awesome,” she said. “Especially with myself being only (a) 24-year-old mother of two, it means a lot to hear a president is devoted.”

Ervin-Upsher said carpentry is a rewarding career.

“I just fell in love with the craft of building,” she said. “Once you put (a tool belt) on, you feel unstoppable.”

She wasn’t always interested in the trade. But now?

“I’ve never been so happy to get to work,” she said.

Ervin-Upsher enrolled in the Trade Institute of Pittsburgh at 22 years old and started out as a bricklayer.

She credits her work ethic to her upbringing. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Ervin-Upsher grew up around her mom and dad — headstrong and independent entrepreneurs, she said.

“From the beginning, I’ve kind of already been around work ethic,” Ervin-Upsher said. “My parents are definitely the reason that I’m here; they’ve always been supportive,” she said.

“I was never really allowed to quit,” Ervin-Upsher said of her family. “It gets tough, but push through it — the reward will be greater than what you’re looking for.”

Her strong support system includes her two kids.

Shyaire Jr., her son, is 4, and daughter Santana is 2.

Her son was watching the State of the Union Address to catch a glimpse of his mother, who was wearing pink.

“He’s like, ‘You go, Mom,’ ” Ervin-Upsher said. “‘I’m so proud of you. … Go, Mom, go!’ ”

Shyaire wasn’t the only one watching.

Rich Paganie, training director for the KML Carpenter’s Apprentice and Training fund, said he was waiting for Ervin-Upsher to pop up on TV. Unfortunately, he didn’t catch a glimpse.

“I was watching on the edge of my seat,” he said.

Paganie said he was excited that Ervin-Upsher had the opportunity to go. He said he’s proud of her.

“She’s exactly what I want as an apprentice,” he said.

Paganie was at the event in July and met Jill Biden there as well.

“I think it’s great to put a spotlight on Pennsylvania — put a spotlight on Pittsburgh, especially,” he said.

It was “humbling” to see the carpenter’s union and Ervin-Upsher included in the annual address televised to the nation, he said.

Alongside Paganie, Ervin-Upsher’s mother, father, siblings, kids and fellow union workers were tuned in. Some watched from the trade institute as well, she said.

Though she’s not active politically in Pittsburgh, Ervin-Upsher said she voted for Biden in the 2020 election. She said she hopes her brothers and sisters in the union show up to vote in the upcoming election.

“Only time will tell,” she said, but she’s remaining optimistic. “(I) hope that whoever’s in office remembers that we kind of oil the wheels of America.”

Getting the chance to attend the State of the Union Address has already changed Ervin-Upsher’s life. She’s hoping for other ways to continue to advocate for more women entering trade fields.

“If I can do it, you can do it, too,” she said. “I always tell people the sky’s not the limit. … I strive to break the barrier.”

Ervin-Upsher said she’s excited to tell her kids about the experience.

“They’re the reason I’m here,” she said. “Everything I do is to show them that it’s possible — I want my kids to look back and say, ‘Wow, my mom really did something with her life.’ ”

It’s all about the legacy she’s able to leave behind, she said.

“I’m doing it for my kids — they’re my reason why.”