{"id":5816,"date":"2021-03-10T11:40:01","date_gmt":"2021-03-10T17:40:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/?p=5816"},"modified":"2021-05-17T14:04:50","modified_gmt":"2021-05-17T19:04:50","slug":"finding-her-path","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/","title":{"rendered":"Finding her path"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Stella Robinson, Electrical Construction & Maintenance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Stella Robinson has never backed down from a challenge. And she\u2019s never followed a traditional path. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That combination might be why she has found her calling in the Electrical Construction & Maintenance program at Dunwoody College of Technology. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Stella Robinson works on a project in the Electrical lab at Dunwoody.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDunwoody is the exact reverse of what high school was like,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cIn high school I was not challenged, and I didn\u2019t feel like I was going anywhere. At Dunwoody I get challenged every day and when I figure something out I think \u2018yes, I did it, now what\u2019s next?\u2019\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding her path<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Born and raised in Minneapolis, Robinson attended Washburn High School. During high school, she took Postsecondary Enrollment Options (PSEO) courses at a nearby community college, and remembers seeing the Dunwoody Boulevard sign on her way to class.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But pursuing an electrical degree wasn\u2019t always what she wanted to do.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGrowing up, I wanted to be a kindergarten teacher,\u201d she recalls. \u201cBut then I got practice working with kindergartners for three summers and thought \u2018I can\u2019t do that.\u2019 Instead I decided I\u2019ve got to do something with my hands.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her path to electrical was actually shorter and more direct than you might think. And it begins with a sport few have the courage to try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Robinson was six years old, her mom signed her up for fencing lessons. The hobby turned into a passion, and Robinson now competes locally and nationally in Olympic-style fencing competitions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose people are my friends and family,\u201d Robinson said. \u201cPeople who stab together stay together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was through her fencing club that Robinson first gained experience working with low-voltage. The fencing jackets and swords she uses are wired to record points scored and sometimes they malfunction. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn fencing you have a metal Lam\u00e9 jacket, with a wire that attaches to your sword,\u201d she said. \u201cIf someone hits a jacket, a light goes on. The cords we use will break, and you have to figure out where the break is. It\u2019s fun getting to fix something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, just a couple months from earning her degree, Robinson has discovered a career where fixing things is all in a day\u2019s work. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDunwoody has been wonderful. Better than I was expecting,\u201d Robinson said.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Honing her skills<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Her courses at Dunwoody have also allowed her to focus on the skills she already excelled at \u2013 building things and solving problems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Stella Robinson frames out new work stations in the Electrical lab.\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Growing up, Robinson would get in trouble during school for constantly taking apart her mechanical pencils or for building mini structures out of post-it notes in her desk. Now she gets to channel all that creativity into a career that perfectly matches her skill set. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But that doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s always been easy.   <\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a woman pursuing a non-traditional degree path, Robinson knew she would probably be one of the only women in the room. But the challenge has motivated her to push herself, and Robinson said the support from faculty has made a big difference. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to not just keep walking along. It\u2019s fun to push up a hill sometime and see what\u2019s at the top,\u201d Robinson said.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That same attitude may have influenced Robinson\u2019s final group project last year. She and her group decided to take on the challenge of building a plasma globe \u2013 the kind that react to static when you touch them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
First semester Electrical students show off their final projects.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat sounds like it is going to be pretty easy, but it\u2019s plasma,\u201d Robinson said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

At first the group couldn\u2019t get it to work. They stayed after, went in early, and still nothing. Finally their instructor suggested they try it a certain way and it finally worked. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe whole lab stopped to watch, that was the best. Now, the next challenge is how to make it sustainable,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The concept of sustainability is something that attracted Robinson to the field \u2013 and to Dunwoody.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOne of the main things that drew me here was the sustainable energy focus,\u201d she said, adding that she is looking forward to learning more during her solar and wind energy class.  \u201cYou have all this technology and you get to try it out in a lab.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Excited for what’s next<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

After graduating, Robinson wants a career that allows her to work hands-on and see the world. And she is more interested in fixing things that are broken than installing things that are new. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s like a puzzle and there is a challenge to make it do what you want it to do,\u201d she said. \u201cFor my career, I just want to get my feet wet as much as possible. I want to try a bunch of things, travel to a bunch of places and eventually end up back in Minneapolis. I\u2019m open to anything, but I\u2019d like to do residential to start and green energy would be awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m excited to get a hands-on job and if I had a desk job, I wouldn\u2019t get to do any of that. Getting a technical degree is the smartest thing you\u2019ll ever do. You\u2019re never going to want for a job. There are so many possibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Stella Robinson, Electrical Construction & Maintenance Stella Robinson has never backed down from a challenge. And she\u2019s never followed a traditional path.  That combination might be why she has found her calling in the Electrical Construction & Maintenance program at Dunwoody College of Technology.  \u201cDunwoody is the exact reverse of what high school was like,\u201d […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":5819,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[178],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5816","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-student-news"],"yoast_head":"\nFinding her path - Dunwoody College News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Finding her path - Dunwoody College News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Stella Robinson, Electrical Construction & Maintenance Stella Robinson has never backed down from a challenge. And she\u2019s never followed a traditional path.  That combination might be why she has found her calling in the Electrical Construction & Maintenance program at Dunwoody College of Technology.  \u201cDunwoody is the exact reverse of what high school was like,\u201d […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Dunwoody College News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:publisher\" content=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dunwoodycollege\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2021-03-10T17:40:01+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2021-05-17T19:04:50+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/72Stella2.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1400\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"933\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Newsroom\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@dunwoodycollege\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@dunwoodycollege\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Newsroom\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"5 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/finding-her-path\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/finding-her-path\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Newsroom\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/95bb0ca1c8b3a5edc4cac18382a445e2\"},\"headline\":\"Finding her path\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-10T17:40:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-05-17T19:04:50+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/finding-her-path\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":926,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/finding-her-path\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/72Stella2.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Student News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/finding-her-path\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/finding-her-path\\\/\",\"name\":\"Finding her path - Dunwoody College News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/finding-her-path\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/finding-her-path\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/72Stella2.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2021-03-10T17:40:01+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2021-05-17T19:04:50+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/95bb0ca1c8b3a5edc4cac18382a445e2\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/finding-her-path\\\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/finding-her-path\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/finding-her-path\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/72Stella2.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2021\\\/03\\\/72Stella2.jpg\",\"width\":1400,\"height\":933,\"caption\":\"Stella Robinson poses for a photo outside Dunwoody College of Technology\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/2021\\\/finding-her-path\\\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Finding her path\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/\",\"name\":\"Dunwoody College News\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/95bb0ca1c8b3a5edc4cac18382a445e2\",\"name\":\"Newsroom\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/dunwoody.edu\\\/news\\\/author\\\/newsroom\\\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Finding her path - Dunwoody College News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Finding her path - Dunwoody College News","og_description":"Stella Robinson, Electrical Construction & Maintenance Stella Robinson has never backed down from a challenge. And she\u2019s never followed a traditional path.  That combination might be why she has found her calling in the Electrical Construction & Maintenance program at Dunwoody College of Technology.  \u201cDunwoody is the exact reverse of what high school was like,\u201d […]","og_url":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/","og_site_name":"Dunwoody College News","article_publisher":"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dunwoodycollege","article_published_time":"2021-03-10T17:40:01+00:00","article_modified_time":"2021-05-17T19:04:50+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1400,"height":933,"url":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/72Stella2.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Newsroom","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_creator":"@dunwoodycollege","twitter_site":"@dunwoodycollege","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Newsroom","Est. reading time":"5 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/"},"author":{"name":"Newsroom","@id":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/95bb0ca1c8b3a5edc4cac18382a445e2"},"headline":"Finding her path","datePublished":"2021-03-10T17:40:01+00:00","dateModified":"2021-05-17T19:04:50+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/"},"wordCount":926,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/72Stella2.jpg","articleSection":["Student News"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/","url":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/","name":"Finding her path - Dunwoody College News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/72Stella2.jpg","datePublished":"2021-03-10T17:40:01+00:00","dateModified":"2021-05-17T19:04:50+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/95bb0ca1c8b3a5edc4cac18382a445e2"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/72Stella2.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/72Stella2.jpg","width":1400,"height":933,"caption":"Stella Robinson poses for a photo outside Dunwoody College of Technology"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/2021\/finding-her-path\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Finding her path"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/#website","url":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/","name":"Dunwoody College News","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/#\/schema\/person\/95bb0ca1c8b3a5edc4cac18382a445e2","name":"Newsroom","url":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/author\/newsroom\/"}]}},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/72Stella2.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5816","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5816"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5816\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5869,"href":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5816\/revisions\/5869"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5816"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5816"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dunwoody.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5816"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}