For Courtney, hands-on learning was a part of growing up. Whether it was repairing something in the garage or baking in the kitchen, she always learned best by doing. So, it's no surprise that when she walked into a machine shop for the first time, she knew that was where she belonged.
My brother is an alumnus of Penn College, so I already knew about the school and was familiar with the campus. I toured the campus again and got to see the manufacturing facilities and that really pulled me in. I felt very comfortable on campus and could tell from the equipment available that I would be getting a great education.
I think the transition was smooth. I was able to get advanced placement from my experience in CTC, which allowed me to get 12 credits before ever attending the college. I also received the Career and Technical Education Student Scholarship, which was a huge help. My prior experience at CTE allowed me to get ahead in my college education and helped me feel more confident when walking into my first day of classes.
The thing that I like most about my field is being able to see the whole process of how something is made. You start with a drawing, and you end up with a finished product that you can hold in your hands.
I am working on a very cool project in my EDM (Electrical Discharge Machining) class. I am cutting out a mold for a plastic covering that will go on the bottom of metal chairs. For this, I needed to program the machine to cut out one shape on the top of the part and simultaneously cut a different shape on the bottom of the part, while seamlessly blending the two shapes together in the middle. This is called 4-axis machining. It is a super cool process and I’m excited to be apart of this project, as it is something that will be implemented here at the school.
I would tell them that it is a great place to get an education, but it is also a great place to make new friends. Not only will you get a hands-on learning experience, but also amazing memories that you’ll remember for the rest of your life.
My favorite hobby is reading. My favorite things to read are romance and thriller novels. I also like to bake, keeping up with my bullet journal, and watching the NBA.
"My dream job is to be a manufacturing engineer. I like to solve problems and that is essentially what the job entails. As a manufacturing engineer, you try to find ways to make a company’s processes faster and more cost effective. I would ideally still spend part of my time on the shop floor, which is something I really enjoy, but with the added bonus of having more responsibilities, which I would find very rewarding."
Courtney Fink
Dual Major in Manufacturing Engineering Technology & Automated Manufacturing Technology
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