Where are you from?
I was born and raised in Iowa City, Iowa. Moved around quite a bit from there.
Why did you choose Kirkwood?
It is close to Marion, where I now live, and had a specific program that matched my interests.
What is your major and how did you choose it?
Energy Production and Distribution Technology (EPDT). I’ve been interested in solar and wind power for a long time. The program is first rate in terms of both the instructors and the facilities. There are wind and solar trainers, as well as actual hub and nacelle assemblies, in the classroom. There’s the on campus operational industrial scale wind turbine and a variety of installed solar arrays to gain hands-on experience with. In addition, the core courses, such as those covering industrial controls, electric motors, generators, mechanical drive systems and industrial programming, are excellent in terms of building an understanding of the EPDT program content.
What has been your proudest moment at Kirkwood?
Climbing the wind turbine tower and then standing outside on top of the nacelle. In general, I’m not at all fond of heights, but it was awesome and totally worth it.
What are your plans after Kirkwood?
I look to stay in the local area and find work in the wind/solar fields.
What inspires or motivates you?
Overcoming my tendency to fear the idea of stepping out of my comfort zone to try new things.
Tell us about who you are outside of Kirkwood – hobbies, family, other interests, etc.
I have a wonderful wife Jenifer who encourages me in my quests. She has family in Korea and we both have family here in the US we spend time with. I like to bicycle sometimes, to cook sometimes, and to read books and to listen to audio books on a wide variety of topics. Anime is a hobby that’s interesting to me; I prefer to watch it with the Japanese audio with English subtitles enabled. Mostly, I very much enjoy understanding how things work. To be able to figure out how to take things apart, how to fix them, and hopefully put them back together (YouTube is an amazing resource). I like tackling home improvement projects, and always seem to wind up learning many unexpected things as I go.
What does being named an Outstanding Student mean to you?
That it’s never too late to learn.
Categories: Outstanding Students
