THE LAST WORD

Illustrated by Eric Dyck

Lethbridge College’s Engineering Design Technology program is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year – congratulations! Wider Horizons reached out to a student, a graduate and an instructor and asked them to share their thoughts about the place where they learned (or taught) how to map out their futures and build a better world. Here’s what they had to say:

My dad is one of my instructors, which is pretty exciting, and I have known my other instructors for at least a decade. We have a great facility here, which includes state-of-the-art equipment and well-kept labs. There’s never a dull moment in the program. One week you could be in the classroom learning about construction management, and next week you could be out in the field collecting survey data. I believe that being a student in the Engineering Technologies program has been a great decision for my future.

Joshua May (first-year Civil Engineering Technology student)

The most memorable part of the Engineering program for me was Jim Pinches’ Survey Store. The service he would provide was top notch, and he would even come join us in the field after he was done handing out equipment. With Jim’s awesome humour and charismatic personality, it was always a nice break from class for the Geomatics students. The store was always neat and decorated for whatever holiday was ahead!

Scott Polec (Geomatics Engineering Technology 2022) – GIS Technician at Midwest Surveys Inc.

In my old office in Trades, the wireless was hit and miss, there was only one port in the dusty room, and the metal rollup window constantly rattled with any air movements in the shops or hallways. I joked that if there was a nuclear war, I would survive – that room was like a bunker. In my new space, I have LED lighting and seven windows for plenty of light. I snagged a couple of coat racks to hang my collection of jackets for the varied weather conditions encountered when taking the students outside. And I even have a comfy chair so that I can entertain the odd visitor.

Jim Pinches – Technologist, Surveying and Geospatial Engineering Technology (watch for details about this program later this year!)

Did you turn the heat up on your career in Lethbridge College’s Welder Apprenticeship program? Whether you got your start in the college’s original welding labs or have been lucky enough to learn in the Trades, Technologies and Innovation Facility, we’d love to hear from you. Send us your stories – 200 words max – by email to WHMagazine@lethbridgecollege.ca or on social media by tagging @LethCollege and #LastWordLC, and we’ll share them in our next issue.

We can’t wait to read your submissions!