“Three years ago I moved to Vermont from Biloxi, Mississippi for a position with a local AmeriCorps program. I found myself enjoying the communities and natural beauty of Vermont enough to decide to attend school.”
“Attending school in a pandemic setting, especially while on campus, has been an odd experience to say the very least. Everything has been turned on its head and everyone is having to learn on the fly to an ever changing environment. I felt that this school did an exceptionally good job at communicating with students on what that environment is and keeping them informed on changes in the environment. I was always able to reach out when I had questions and the school would always do their best to give me the most accurate information with expediency.”
“I chose Renewable Energy Engineering because it was important to me to find a major that would help me make a difference. As I began to discover my love and passion for creation I realized that a degree in renewable energy would help me pave a clean path full of opportunity for the next generation.” Nathan is also enrolled in the Civil & Environmental Engineering program. He will graduate with both a Bachelor’s degree in Renewable Energy and an Associate degree in Civil & Environmental Engineering degrees.
VTC’s classes are unique because the “professors are able to create problems and assignments that relate to the real world.” The class that provided this experience the most was Physics II class with Professor Ross Liblappen. “Throughout the class I felt a special kind of connection with the material that allowed me to relate it into every moment of my life. Throughout the class he encouraged us to think about problems critically and to search for creative solutions to problems. This has been a theme for all of my VTC classes and it has really helped me develop a sense of independence and professionalism in subjects that I had minimal knowledge of before starting classes with VTC.”
“I have my partner helping me out a lot. I have lived with her in between housings and she has been a huge help in letting me stay in Vermont during COVID. Without her I am unsure how I could have continued my education in Vermont.”
During your time at VTC, have you used any faculty or staff, services or resources to help you in college? (i.e. did they use career services? Get an internship from a faculty’s relationship with an employer?)
Tutoring was something that Nathan used at Vermont Tech for the CAD. “The ability to have an hour a week to discuss a subject with someone familiar with it was really helpful in building and cementing my understanding of the subjects. It is that extra one on one time that allows for a comfortable environment where I can discuss my understanding and improve upon it. Something that can be incredibly challenging to do when you do not have anyone to bounce ideas off of. Tutoring has not only helped improve my grade but also given me a massive boost in my understanding of physics and statistics.”
“Having a reliable and consistent source of electricity has been one of the greatest factors of my success not only in school but in life. Without electricity I would have missed out on many major opportunities and my resources to act on those opportunities would have been significantly limited. It is because of this that I hope to pursue a career where alleviating energy poverty can be my main focus. In doing so I hope that more and more young people are given greater opportunities to expand their knowledge and create their own paths in life.”
“This summer I will be working with All Earth Renewables where I will help maintain their solar panels across the state.”
Nathan’s advice to incoming students is, ““failure” is just success at learning how not to do something. When a desired result is not achieved there will always be some type of lesson that you can find and hold on to so that you can do better next time.”