Alumni Profiles

Deema AL Namee

Manufacturing Engineering Technology

As a kid, Deema AL Namee enjoyed tinkering around the house and fixing things. It led her to target a career in engineering.

“I went for mechanical engineering for the wide range of jobs that would be available after college,” she says. “I knew that I liked working with my hands.” By the time she had earned her associate's degree, she set her sights on the new... Read More >

Katrina Hagan

Civil & Environmental Engineering Technology

If things had been different for Katrina Hagan, she might have pursued an entirely different career path. “I probably would have been a teacher,” she says. Or an accountant. “But I like being able to touch things and build things,” she says, “and I probably would have been really bored. ”

Instead, the... Read More >

Windsor Roy

Electrical Engineering Technology

As a 14th-generation Vermonter who grew up on a dairy farm, Windsor Roy knows about hard work. He’s a first-generation college student, and he doesn’t want to waste his hard-earned tuition money.

“I have worked since the first day I can remember to pay for college,” Windsor explains. “Even now I go home for the summer and weekends to Barnet, Vermont, to work on my parent’s farm. I... Read More >

Tonah Clairmont

Nursing

Tonah came to Vermont Tech as an experienced LPN looking to further her career and expand her options. Tonah has been practicing nursing in Vermont for 8 years. Many of her friends attended Vermont Tech and had rave reviews about the ADN program and teachers.

As a nursing professional and a mother of three young children... Read More >

Caleb Bristol

Architectural Engineering Technology

A first-generation college student, Caleb Bristol discovered that college is not just a place to learn but an ideal spot to make career connections. “I knew I wanted to be in the engineering discipline, and Vermont Tech's program fit my interests well,” he says.

As an architectural engineering technology major, he was heavily involved in professional organizations, such as ASHRAE (... Read More >

Kara Bazile

Business Technology & Management

In 2010, the ground shook Kara Bazile out of her home in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. She had to leave her native country after the earthquake and come to the US. She was accepted at Vermont Tech as part of her resettlement, so was genuinely pleased when she found out the college had small class sizes. Even then, she knew she would feel lost in a bigger school.

The class size alone wasn’t... Read More >

Dustin Hill

Civil and Environmental Engineering Technology

“The most important memories are not typically found in the classroom, but in molding friendships and relationships that will last a lifetime.”

At Vermont Tech, Dustin learned how to better manage his time, a skill that has benefited him in his career. This native Vermonter transferred to the Vermont... Read More >

Jonas Hastings

Dairy Farm Management

Jonas Hastings is a self-described doer and tinkerer. He has held numerous jobs in his young life, but they have all been practical and hands-on work, like farming, animal husbandry, carpentry and landscaping. Not afraid to take chances, Jonas is willing to, “walk down dead-end roads,” in his path to find what he wants to do and change course as needed.

While in high school, Jonas... Read More >

Ashley Hemenway

Nursing

Becoming a nurse is exactly what Ashley Hemenway set her sights on back in high school. The Fairfax resident, who is a student in the Associate Degree in Nursing program, enrolled in a Licensed Nursing Assistant (LNA) weekend program during her senior year to help start her on a health care career path.  The program paid off and helped steer Ashley toward Vermont Tech.

“The college... Read More >

Jamie Heiam

Professional Pilot Technology

After five years in the Coast Guard, Jamie Heiam knew she wanted a four-year college degree that would propel her into a career and wouldn’t let her end up working in a coffee shop.

“I love to travel, and I was intrigued by aviation,” says Jamie, who had an international childhood thanks to the mobility of her father’s job. “Vermont Tech’s pilot program offers a college degree,... Read More >

Jenny Yang

Veterinary Technology

Jenny Yang is a First Generation college student who graduated from the Veterinary Technology associate degree program at Vermont Tech. She’s also a non-traditional Millennial who tried a number of human health programs and professions before breaking from her family’s wishes for her by pursuing her dream of animal medicine.

Before coming to Vermont Tech, Jenny benefitted from a... Read More >

Matt Franzosa

Construction Management

As a kid, Matt Franzosa always liked building things with his hands. By the time he was a senior in high school, he knew he wanted to be in construction. He was thrilled to find a school like Vermont Tech, which offered construction management as a major.

Matt admits to struggling academically when he first arrived. Fortunately, the faculty organized tutoring sessions for him, and... Read More >

Megan Jenks

Equine Studies

When Megan Jenks visited the Vermont Tech campus, she had already planned on attending another school. That changed when she saw our equine facility.

“I jumped ship!” She said. “I wanted to go to a school that had something to teach me other than what was in my textbook. I wanted more lab time, barn time, riding time and peace-and-quiet time. When I stepped into the Vermont Tech... Read More >

Grace De Geus

Computer Software Engineering

Many students come to Vermont Tech already having a clear idea about what they want to do after college. There are many others, however, like Grace de Geus, who describes her own direction as “vague” when starting her first year.

What was more important to Grace was the size of the school. She grew up in the small Vermont town of Calais, and so Randolph suited her just fine. “VTC... Read More >

Mike Smith

Electrical Engineering Technology

Mike never considered himself a traditional student. 

“I was never exclusively a student,” he says. “I was working full time while I was at Vermont Tech.”

Yes, he had a job but wanted a more fulfilling career.

“I knew I needed a degree… I needed to be ready.”

Mike managed to maintain his good grades while working the night shift, only taking a couple... Read More >

Chris Burgess

Electromechanical Engineering Technology

There are few industries evolving as fast as Electromechanical Engineering Technology,  but Chris Burgess says Vermont Tech prepared him well for whatever might occur. From day one, he was taught how to troubleshoot and problem-solve, which helped him understand how new pieces and devices fit into the larger picture.

“I learned how to design an industrial control scheme, get it... Read More >

Trevor Best

Electrical Engineering Technology

Trevor Best tried a couple different paths before discovering his aptitude for electronics. After realizing the high cost of tuition and narrow career options offered by programs from some out-of-state schools, his parents recommended he check out Vermont Tech.

“My dad and step-mother both graduated from the EET program at Vermont Tech, and they suggested I look at a technology-... Read More >

Brya Emery

Business Technology & Management

“I would not trade my degree of my experience at Vermont Tech for anything,” says Brya Emery “It was (and still is) a place I call home.”

Brya started at Vermont Tech in the VAST program concurrently earning college credits as she finished high school. She went on to earn both... Read More >