A 2019 welding technology alumna, who returned to Pennsylvania College of Technology to explore automotive restoration technology, was featured in a "Work Ethic Wednesday" post on the mikeroweWORKS Foundation's Facebook page earlier this month.Madison O. Russ recently became the first-ever restoration intern at Kindig-It Design, a custom car fabrication shop in Salt Lake City, and her tenacity in landing the position caught the eye of Rowe – a TV personality and longtime advocate for hands-on skills – and his staff.
"One day, Maddie was scrolling through Instagram and saw that Kindig-It Design was looking for fabrication help. While she knew they were looking for someone with more experience, Maddie couldn’t stop thinking about what it would be like to work with them," the foundation post reads.
Owner Dave Kindig demurred on an internship, but invited Russ to tour the shop before she returned to school after winter break.
"A month into her second semester, while everything was hitting the fan with COVID-19, Maddie got a call from Dave. Due to changing circumstances, they were really hurting for help with their work for ... a huge annual car exhibition. Was there any chance she was still looking for a fabrication internship?"
Rowe is perhaps best known for his work on the “Dirty Jobs” series on the Discovery Channel and, as a renowned proponent of technical education’s role in priming the nation's workforce, was interviewed for the college’s 2014 documentary, “Working Class: 100 Years of Hands-On Education.” His foundation has awarded a number of scholarships to Penn College students since 2011.