Page 8 - 2016-2017 LWTech Student Handbook

Student Features
Marine
veteran, Photonics
and Electronics Technology
student, Greg Wooldridge, was in his
fourth quarter at ITT Tech when the company went
out of business. He was left with an incomplete degree, and
an uncertain future. He connected with some other ITT Tech student veterans and together explored what LWTech had to offer.
Wooldridge said that Ahmad Bennett, the Coordinator of LWTech’s Center of Excellence
for Veteran Student Success (CEVSS), was very influential in his reason for coming here. “He dropped everything he had going on for that entire first week to get us processed and ready for the quarter,” said Wooldridge. “We were greeted with open arms,” he added.
While working toward his AAS degree in Electronics Technology, Wooldridge also enrolled in the new Photonics Technology certificate program, funded by the National Science Foundation. “The subject matter is intriguing. The projects and
the labs really help you understand the concepts,” he said. As part of the Photonics program, Wooldridge participated in co-op study at Synrad, a CO2 laser manufacturing company located in Mukilteo,
Wash. While he originally wanted to continue working in avionics as he did in the Marine Corps, his experience with the Photonics program and Synrad has
changed his mind. He now hopes to pursue a career in optics and laser technology after graduation.
Wooldridge describes LWTech as a “home away from home.”
7
“I love how
Greg Wooldridge
Natalie Weberg
Theo Alexander