Erick Hanson, an Academic Excellence award winner for the Construction Sciences & Building Technology department, served in the United States Coast Guard for almost 10 years after graduating from high school, but eventually he was ready for a change. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI traveled\nand lived in many states and gained valuable life experiences,\u201d Hanson said. \u201cThis\ntime and my growing family led me to eventually pursue a career closer to home\nwith less travel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
As he\nconsidered a career change, he knew he wanted something hands-on, and settled\non training to be a Service Pipefitter for Minneapolis Pipefitters Local Union\n#539. And that led him to Dunwoody. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cDunwoody\nwas the most attractive school to me because of the caliber of instructors,\nstructure of learning, and diversity of curriculum,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hanson also\nliked that it was a two-year fast track to a new career. Although he notes, \u201cIronically\nafter I finish my [five-year] apprenticeship, I will have attended some sort of\nschooling for seven years.\u201d But he then adds: \u201cI will be working, though, and\nthat\u2019s what it\u2019s all about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And the\nhands-on aspect lived up to what he expected. \u201cI have always been hands-on to\nsome degree. That has grown in me even more over the last two years,\u201d Hanson\nsaid. \u201cThe confidence you gain from quality training, education, and mentorship\nencourages you to \u2018just try it.\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hanson\u2019s\nenthusiasm for what he was learning came across to his instructors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bill Bobick,\nInstructor of HVACR Systems Servicing, noted that Hanson\u2019s attendance and academic\nperformance were excellent, and, just as important, so was his presence in the\nclassroom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cErick\nalways has a question or comment that delves deep into the subject matter,\u201d he\nsaid. \u201cHis participation in class is respectful and always on topic. The\nsubject matter takes flight with people like Erick in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Bobick also\npointed to how as a first-year student, Hanson agreed to compete in the\nMinnesota\u2019s Skills-USA competition, which Dunwoody\u2019s HAVAC programs were\nreturning to after a hiatus. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThis is\nnot a first-year-friendly competition. When confronted with the barrage of\nquestions and testing of skills he did not yet know, Erick did not give up,\u201d\nBobick said. \u201cThis was a nine hour day, no pay, no reward. He powered through\nit. I would check on him at various points of the day and was met with a smile\nand a positive attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Part of his\nperseverance is due no doubt to Hanson\u2019s military training. But he also genuinely\nenjoys all things HVAC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHVAC-R is\na secret, I think, in the trades and I am fine with it staying that way,\u201d he\nsaid. \u201cIt\u2019s a great field that allows you to have a very diverse and\nchallenging career. Those challenges are what make the rewards that much\nbetter.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not that\nthe program was easy, but Hanson had a good model to follow:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMy wife is\nthe mother to my three boys and the hardest working, most determined person I\nhave ever met,\u201d he said. \u201cShe has faced every challenge in her life head on and\nnever backed down. She waited to get her degree and proved it can be done even\nwhile being a mother, working, and being a military spouse. It gave me no\nexcuse to not set and achieve my own goals.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It also\nhelped that he found that Dunwoody was welcoming of him as a Veteran and an\nolder student. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI never\nfelt out of place in Dunwoody\u2019s setting,\u201d he said. \u201cIt was the most personable\nformal education I have received. I was always treated like an individual and a\nperson. I have met some really great people. The instructors and students make\nyou want to come to class every day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In\nparticular, Hanson notes that while he is a service tech, he really enjoyed the\nsheet metal unit with Kevin MacDonald.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI really\nliked creating and making something from nothing,\u201d he said. \u201cWe literally built\nthe solution to our problem. It\u2019s a fast-paced challenging unit that rewards\nyou at the end when you see what you were able to create in such a short period\nof time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now that he\nis graduating, Hanson is looking forward to adding to the skills he has learned\nby working full-time in the field while also continuing his education with the\nMinneapolis Pipefitters Apprenticeship Program. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI want to\nmaster my craft and be able to pass those skills on to the next generation.\nThen I want to retire on a lake and soak up what you can still get from putting\nin hard work,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
And he\u2019s\nconfident that he will be able to do so. \u201cFor over 100 years Dunwoody has\nendured through all sorts of times, Hanson said. \u201cI hope I have a little bit of\nthat steadfastness after my time at Dunwoody.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cDunwoody was the most attractive school to me because of the caliber of instructors, structure of learning, and diversity of curriculum.\u201d <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5591,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[363,178],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5587","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-excellence-award","category-student-news"],"yoast_head":"\n