STEM youth apprentice focuses on mechanical engineering
Julia is a senior at Belleville High School, a small community located 20 miles southwest of Madison. She is in her second year of a STEM career pathway Youth Apprenticeship with a focus on mechanical engineering.
Julia had this to say about her chosen field: “I didn’t realize I wanted to be a mechanical engineer until I was a freshman, but I should’ve known by the age of eight, when I would tear apart anything that moved in our house. When I took Intro to Engineering Design, I knew I wanted to be an engineer.”
She got a job placement as a junior at Findorff & Son, then moved to North American Mechanical over the summer, working with CAD programming and going to job sites. This year as a senior, Julia is working with Federal Industries in Belleville as a lab assistant and soon to be CAD engineer.
Julia’s day includes waking up early to work out, attending school and then going to her YA job. At Federal Industries, she thermocouples various cases for testing in the lab and loads products into the cases to acquire accurate readings. There are also other tasks such as swamping fans on a case, helping with controls, or just watching and listening.
Julia is currently deciding between attending Milwaukee School of Engineering or the University of Wisconsin – Platteville next fall.
For other students searching for their career niche, Julia said, “If you don’t know how to do something, just ask. Everything can be a learning opportunity for future reference.”
Credit to Stuff SC