Following in his father’s footsteps, Michael sought a career related to construction. Not sure about continuing his education, Michael ended up choosing Vermont Tech because it was local, had a great reputation, high placement rate, and had the curriculum he was interested in. Michael chose to get his Associate’s in Civil Engineering & Environmental Technology and graduated in 1989.
Michael was very interested in surveying and structural design and expressed, “I enjoyed the classes and professors in those courses.” He stated, “Clearly, the legacy of Harry Wirtz lives on.” (Learn more about the Harry Wirtz scholarship). Michael explained, “One of the things I’ve taken from VTC to the workforce was the work ethic required to successfully complete the program. It gave me a good sense of organization and time management skills. Even though I would still occasionally pull in ‘all nighter’ because of procrastination, the courses and workload definitely trained me and made me think of things, I wouldn’t have thought of without completing the program.”
When Michael was not in the classroom or focusing on his studies, he was involved in the Intramurals available on campus, like flag football and softball. He also was a Work Study Student and helped in the Facilities Department where he cultivated relationships stating, “VTC is a small town for sure and working within the Maintenance Department, I got to meet and get to know them as they were all the locals.” He went on to say, “The community at VTC…the students were really involved in and out of class and we hung out quite tightly and did a lot together.” When reminiscing, Michael brought up, “One memory that always comes to mind when I think of VTC is surveying in the late summer and fall and just the beauty of the campus and how pronounced it was. It was a delight to be out there on a Friday afternoon, even though most of us wanted to go home, it was certainly the second-best place to be for sure.” One of his favorite memories was, “The northern lights were spectacular on campus at night. We would get together on the green and watch the northern lights. The campus is poised on a hilltop that provides stunning views and natural beauty.”
When asked, Michael expressed, “I would absolutely recommend Vermont Tech without question. Even though it’s been 30 years ago for me and things have changed at VTC, over time VTC has diversified the student body, which is certainly a welcomed change. Also, my understanding is the placement rate is still very strong (#1 in Vermont), so you really are in good shape to get a job immediately after college if you chose to…Yeah, I couldn’t say enough of recommending Vermont Tech.”
Upon graduation, Michael started at the Agency of Transportation and spent 28 years serving in various positions. In 2017, Michael started working at Stantec Consulting Services as the Senior Transportation Engineer. He is responsible for scheduling, budgeting, and providing technical advisement, as he explained, “Honestly, the whole basis is to see a project on time and on budget.” Working with 20 other VTC alumni at Stantec, they are prime examples of return on investment and how successful you can be with a Vermont Tech degree. Learn more about Michael’s day-to-day activities at Stantec in our Vermont Tech Stantec YouTube video!