When 25-year-old Mary Varnell of La Grange decided to pursue an engineering degree at Wayne Community College, she was returning to a lifelong passion of discovering how things work.
Growing up, Varnell could be found listening to her mom read stories from a fairytale book or watching her dad, an automotive mechanic, work on his truck outside. She explored her various interests as a student at North Lenoir High School through programs like Project Lead the Way, a class that introduces students to engineering concepts in innovative ways, and AP Language and Literature courses.
Choosing the right path
When she graduated high school in 2016, Varnell had to choose which of her two main passions she should pursue. Feeling like the math aspect of engineering wasn’t her strong suit, she found NC State’s English and Creative Writing program to be a good fit and enrolled. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in 2020.
Graduating from college in the middle of a pandemic made it difficult for Varnell to find job opportunities in the teaching or publishing fields. A conversation with her sister, a math instructor at WCC, led her to reconsider her love for engineering.
After speaking with WCC Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies Department Chair Steven Reese, she enrolled in WCC’s Mechanical Engineering Technology program and is now in her second year.
Training for a broad field
The Mechanical Engineering Technology program prepares students for careers as engineering technicians. The program offers a two-year associate in applied science degree and several one-year certificates. Upon completion, graduates qualify for work in the manufacturing or service sectors of engineering technology. Interested students can also pursue a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Technology from East Carolina University through their transfer partnership with WCC.
“Our field is very broad,” Reese said. “Some students get jobs in the civil sector, some work in automotive, and others in the electrical industry. There’s a really large spectrum of items being manufactured in our area.”
A hands-on program
“This program has been so much fun,” said Varnell. “I’ve enjoyed being hands-on and working on projects. We mostly do design work and then make things from what we design.”
Reese says the hands-on design work Varnell describes is extremely rewarding for students. “They learn the skills and processes we are training them in through this program, and the companies they work for will channel that training to what they are specifically producing.”
Varnell says she also enjoys the personal connection that WCC’s instructors strive to maintain with their students. “I like that it’s a smaller community and you have that one-on-one with your instructor. If you need help with anything, they are there for you.”
Connections bring new opportunities
The close student/teacher relationships at WCC extend beyond the classroom and into the workforce. When Varnell asked Reese if he knew of any job opportunities for her this summer, he connected her with Prolec-GE Waukesha in Goldsboro, where she now works as a transformer detail intern.
“I really enjoy what I’m doing,” she said. “I like to see how the transformers are put together because I like understanding how things work. It’s cool to see how the individual pieces go together and what kind of measurements they need.”
Varnell hopes to continue working at Waukesha after she graduates in the spring. She would encourage others who are interested in the Mechanical Engineering Technology program to pursue it and not let certain classes intimidate them.
Learn more about WCC’s Mechanical Engineering Technology program on our website or contact Steven Reese at srreese@waynecc.edu or (919) 739-6802.