His high school guidance counselor said he wasn’t college material. Earning two degrees from Penn College and a master’s at Rowan University, Lester proved him wrong. Today, Lester is responsible for all electric distribution assets connected to PSEG’s central monitoring system for the utility’s 2.3 million electric customers throughout New Jersey. He also owns his own consulting business.
I love what I do because of the people I work with and the exposure to technology. People on my team are from different educational, professional, and cultural backgrounds, which strengthens the quality of our work and also builds a great team atmosphere. We’re also able to think outside the box to introduce cutting-edge technology into our system and incorporate practices from other engineering disciplines and applications.
There is no typical day. I relate it to working in the emergency room. You can come into work with a plan, and you can stick to that plan and gauge what’s going to happen. But out of nowhere, something can occur as simple as a trip-out or some kind of system issue, and your priorities change. You have to have a reasonable level of flexibility.
It was really homey. My parents and I toured the buildings, and we knew it was the environment I could thrive in. I told the (electronics) faculty that my grades weren’t awesome, but they encouraged me and told me they would work with me. They said that they would help align me to have a good life. My parents and I walked out of there with hope.
My senior project (automating a ceramic drawing furnace). I took everything I learned and wrapped it into one project. It really came out nice. I showed the ability to solve problems and apply myself and my trade. There’s actually a two-part video on YouTube about my senior project. Rick Calvert (assistant professor of electronics and computer engineering technology) asked me to present the project to the advisory committee. I felt like at that moment that I kind of graduated.
I can sincerely say that every professor in that department was a major factor in my success, both professionally and personally. I think the professors knew I had the capability to achieve success and to make it, even when I didn’t. They knew I just needed a good kick in the butt once in a while. They sincerely cared about each and every one of the students. They wanted us to succeed. If I didn’t have those people with me throughout my time there, I genuinely believe I would have a very different life.
I simply would not be where I am today without Penn College. Everything I did from the moment I walked in there, educationally and socially, allowed me to be successful in my career. I was taught by practical and very intelligent folks who had a true passion and dedicated approach to their students. I learned critical and applicable skills. I think the key to my success was the hands-on and lab-based approach to technology and engineering that allowed me to quantify and see science in practice.
At first Lester wasn't sure college was for him. But after seeing Penn College and meeting the faculty, he had hope. Today, he is a principal technology engineer for Public Service Enterprise Group, the largest gas and electric service provider in New Jersey.
"The key to my success was the hands-on and lab-based approach to technology and engineering that allowed me to quantify and see the science in practice."
Lester Wrobel
Lester's senior project was the perfect culmination of everything he learned at Penn College. He created a system that evaporated water from ceramic material and presented his project at the School of Engineering Technologies Advisory Committee Meeting.
Blend theory with hands-on experiences in electronic circuits and devices, robotics and automated systems, vision and motion control, and more.
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