CHICKASHA – Dylan Laumbach has her heart set on becoming an engineer one day. She envisions a comfortable lifestyle but understands there is a lot of hard work ahead.
Laumbach, 16, and a junior at Chickasha High School, enrolled in Canadian Valley Technology Center’s Precision Machining program as a first step toward a career goal.
She said she is well aware as a female that she is a non-traditional student in a male-dominated industry. That has not bothered her.
“I am incredibly excited to be a part of this program,” she said. “In the shop, I’m not treated any differently than anybody else. Nobody in the shop looks at me differently. Everyone jokes around, and nothing is taken seriously unless it comes to our work.”
She admits to being skeptical about the workplace upon graduation.
“I believe, however, if I were in an actual job setting in a shop there would be some unfair treatment of some kind,” she said.
Nevertheless, Laumbach believes an education in Precision Machining will be a springboard to completing her other career goal.
“I chose to enroll in CV Tech, because I believed it would give me a push forward in getting a job,” she said. “This truly has been one of the best decisions I could make towards making my future brighter.
“Someday, after I finish CV Tech and hopefully college as well, I hope to have a career in engineering,” she said. “Precision Machining gets me ready for that by giving me hands-on experience in being able to machine my own parts that I may design myself. I think machining is also a way I can create an income for myself to pay through college.”
Laumbach is among nearly a third of CV Tech students who pursue a college education after completing a program and graduating from high school. Many use the skills they acquire at CV Tech to earn considerably more than minimum wage while going to college.
“That’s the plan,” she said. “I would encourage others to also consider (CV Tech). This is an amazing place to be with helpful instructors and supportive staff. And you’ll meet people from other schools and be able to make connections that might help you later on in life. Everyone can find a class that interests them, and this will certainly help you find the career you have always wanted.”
