Robotics engineer credits CareerTech for much of his success
Hunter Young was never particularly fond of school. Learning was difficult for him, and his grades in middle school reflected his struggles. He knew high school would be even more of a challenge.
When Young was a sophomore, his grandmother suggested he consider enrolling in a CareerTech program. She thought a vocational program might change her grandson’s outlook and performance in school. Despite his early grades, she knew he was good at math and calculus, and she encouraged him to enroll in the engineering program at Canadian Valley Technology Center.
She already had several good reasons to believe in the power of CareerTech to impact students’ lives. Young’s mother had been in CV Tech’s pilot program for certified nurse aid training and is a nurse practitioner at Oklahoma Children’s Hospital -- Pediatric Gastroenterology Clinic. Young’s sisters are also CareerTech success stories -- one graduated from CV Tech’s biomedical academy and is finishing medical school. The other is a graduate of Francis Tuttle Technology Center’s culinary arts program.
Because of Young’s learning difficulties, he and his grandmother knew he needed to find a career path that offered a variety of activities and challenges. He agreed to enroll at CV Tech, and the engineering program set him on a path that suited his needs.
He participated in CV Tech’s FIRST Robotics program, which helped him develop valuable problem-solving skills. He began to believe in himself and his ability to succeed. By graduation, he had exceeded his grandmother’s hopes for his future.
After high school, Young attended Oklahoma State University and majored in mechanical engineering. He participated in two externships, one of which involved developing a 3D gripper to help stroke patients in rehabilitation therapy.
He later received a master’s degree in robotics engineering from the University of Illinois, applying many of the skills he developed in his early CareerTech engineering courses.
Today, Young is a robotics engineer for Intelligent Automation Inc. in Maryland. He has worked on a robot that inspects utility lines and one that climbs walls to inspect ships, along with swarms of drones and other vehicles that collect information for the military.
His grandmother knows Young worked hard to get where he is today, but they both know CareerTech was where it all started.
